Brotherhood
by Shiki105
Summary: Hibari Takes Pity on a Homeless Child and Invites Him in. AU/Original Setting. Pre-series. Hibari and Tsuna Family-Friendship. No Yaoi
1. One Act of Kindness

Hello, all!

Just a brief explanation; this story came about while I was wondering the following:

What Hibari would be like as an overprotective older brother (so, do expect some OOCness; I mean, this this fic is supposed to be [kinda] cute and sweet so you should get the idea right away that some of the characters are going to be OOC, right? Namely, Hibari, heh heh),

What it'd be like without Reborn making an immediate entrance into the story (you'll be what I mean in later chapters),

And if Tsuna's Dying Will Mode was something he could activate innately instead of relying on Reborn to shoot him (so, in later chapters, things should go a little differently),

Oh, and let's just say that Hibari's a little...softer, since he's a kid at this time, 'kay? He likes herbivorous animals (even if they aren't animals XD).

That's all. Please do feel free to critique; all is appreciated. Just no flames (i.e. "boo! This story sucks ballz cuz Hibari would never act like that! You suck!"), cuz I'm relatively certain that whatever you have to say about the characters behaviours, I'm already aware of it. I just didn't want to have to say all this later, cuz I have a tendency to forget these things.

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.

Enjoy! And I apologise for this long-ass author's note. Well, this is the only one that's this long so no worries! ^_^

* * *

It was a very cold day. He stopped by the park gate as he cast a glance inside.

Despite being a child, Kyouya Hibari wasn't considered by most as being such. He was a force to be reckoned with. Namimori Elementary School was under his control. A big achievement when one considered the fact that he was only twelve years old. But he did have a heart, a fact which his enemies might deny.

And this heart was big on animals. Especially small cute animals.

Perhaps that was why he didn't just move on towards home as he spotted a tiny little figure curled up on the park bench. He even went inside to see what a little kid was doing there, all alone, on such a cold day. Even Hibari didn't want to be out in this cold; as good a warm up as it was, biting people to death at this time didn't win out against the idea of having a nice cup of hot chocolate in his apartment.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

The little boy on the bench looked up. His face was dirty. His feet were bare, grubby, and scratched. His clothes were thin and the threads had worn away at the knees and the elbows, suggesting that maybe he'd fallen a few times. His big brown hair was sticking up all over the place and his brown eyes were pained as he lifted his gaze.

Hibari felt pity for the little thing. He didn't mind the suffering of people but he didn't like seeing herbivorous animals in pain quite so much. When the little boy didn't respond, Hibari said, "well?"

The smaller child gulped and looked down. He drew into himself. "I-I…I've got…no home…" he muttered with a sniffle.

A tiny little kid like this living out on the streets all by himself? He looked around four, maybe five years old. Hibari's pity kicked up a notch. He took off his school jacket and passed it to the boy. The child looked up at him with wide eyes. "N-Nii…chan…?"

"Take it." Hibari said as he dropped the jacket onto the little boy's head. It wasn't like he didn't have another jacket to wear. And besides, even if he did show up at school without one, it wasn't like the teachers could say anything to him. They wouldn't dare.

He didn't glance back as he left the park.

* * *

That evening, Hibari was on his way to the convenience store when he came upon something unusual. As he left the front door of his apartment building, he saw a small figure curled up beside the doorsteps. Hibari's jacket was wrapped around its small shoulders.

The boy with the big brown hair gazed up and, seeing Hibari, he jumped to his feet. Hibari frowned. "What are you doing here?"

The brown-haired boy stared at his bare feet, rubbing one over the other in an effort to alleviate the coldness. He was shivering. "I…I-I wanted to…th-thank…Nii-chan…" He looked up, trying hard not to let his teeth chatter. The hand holding the jacket around his frame was clenched in a tight fist.

Hibari hated being followed (for that was the only way he could think of that the kid would know where he lived) as much as the next person, but he just couldn't bring himself to get angry at this pitiable thing. If the kid had really followed him home, that meant he'd been out here for a good few hours.

"Get in."

The younger of the two looked up in confusion. "H-huh…?"

Hibari turned his gaze to the light-flooded doorway. "I said get in."

The younger child looked scared. "B-but…"

"I'm not going to do anything to you, kid."

Swallowing the fear evident on his face, the little boy bowed his head and clambered up the three steps leading to the door. He had to struggle because his legs were so small. It made Hibari's pity grow even more. How did the kid survive out on the streets by himself? He was tiny!

Inside the building, there were two doors opposite one another in the hallway, leading to two of the four apartments. After the door on the right was a set of stairs, leading up to the next floor. Hibari urged the little boy towards the staircase.

It was a long process getting up. Hibari sighed as the younger boy paused to catch his breath after a few steps. Shouldn't he just pick the damn brat up? Deciding that this was the only way to keep from losing his patience, Hibari bent down to lift the child.

"Whoa…!" the little boy cried out as he was raised into the air and hoisted over the older boy's shoulder. "P-put me down! Please, put me down!" His voice was bordering on hysteria.

"Relax. I won't drop you." Hibari didn't have any trouble holding the smaller boy up. He was strong for his age.

It did get the job done quicker. Stepping onto the landing, he put the child down. The hallway here was much the same as the one downstairs. Hibari walked over to the door on the right.

He fished out a key and slipped it into the keyhole and turned it. He opened the door to reveal a fairly large apartment. Just inside, there was an area for taking off one's shoes. Beyond that was a single step, above which hung several empty coat pegs.

The hallway was quite long. On their immediate left was a door which led to a small closet. Some ways off from the closet was another door, this one leading to the bathroom. The hallway curved slightly at the end, off to the right. There was a door in this curve, which led into the only bedroom and, on the opposite side of the hallway, the kitchen, and then the living room, on their right. The faded carpet looked like it needed to be replaced. The predominant colour theme was beige; from the walls to the floor to the colour of the skirting boards.

Hibari took off his shoes and arranged them neatly to the side and stepped up into the hallway. He looked down in displeasure at his guest's dirty feet. There was no helping it. "Come in."

"O-ok…" the younger boy still looked nervous. His movements were jittery and he stumbled back whenever Hibari was too close. He climbed up the step that marked the end of the entryway and the beginning of the hallway and followed as Hibari led the way to the living room.

Hibari switched on the light, revealing a spacious chamber with naught in the way of furniture but a couch in the middle, a table in front of it, and a TV positioned beside the large window that looked out over the front of the building. There was another window, albeit a smaller one, on the farther side. In the wall adjacent to the entry into the living room, there was another door, beige to fit in with the colour theme of the rest of the apartment.

"Sit." Hibari instructed.

His guest wordlessly went over to the couch and sat down. He sat at the very edge, ready to take flight if necessary. Hibari turned and rounded the protruding corner of the living room and went to the kitchen. He got out a first aid kit and filled a large bowl with water before heading back.

He went around the couch and sat down next to the boy. The guest turned his head and looked up. He still looked afraid. Hibari reached a hand out and, taking a hold of one tiny foot, he jerked the boy around. "Wah!" the kid's butt nearly slid off, seated precariously as he was. "Wh-what…?" he began.

"I'm going to treat your cuts, what else?" Hibari scoffed. Looking down at the bottom of the boy's foot, he realised the full extent of the damage. It looked really bad. Some of the gashes were rather deep. "Does this hurt?"

Leaning back against the armrest with one leg forced up, the younger child gave a half-hearted shrug. "A-a little…"

"What an herbivore…"

The little boy frowned. "A…what's an…?"

"Herbivore? It means someone who's weak like a helpless little animal. Like you." Hibari smirked.

The guest couldn't seem to find the courage to look indignant. Hibari got out some cotton wool balls and dipped one in the water and then ran it over the gashes on the tiny foot. Having been in many bloody fights to date, he was pretty efficient at this sort of thing. His patient winced lightly.

"If this hurts, why are you wondering around without any shoes?" Hibari asked, attention taken up by his task. There was some part of him which was demanding why he was going so far for a little kid off the streets but he silenced those thoughts. He'd wonder about this later.

"I-I…lost…my shoes." the little boy responded, his brows curving downwards.

"How?"

The smaller boy looked away, his lower lip trembling. "F-fire…"

Hibari's brow furrowed. "Fire?"

His guest was shivering again. It wasn't that cold in here. "M-my…my home…" He choked on his next word and coughed as tears came to his eyes.

He really was an herbivore, Hibari felt.

Hibari finished cleaning the dirt off one foot and started on the other one. Dirty, wet clumps of cotton wool piled up on the table. The older boy had the younger strip down to his drawers. The untarnished blue boxers decorated with a little yellow sun motif underneath nearly made him laugh. He'd not been expecting something so colourful but being in his drawers also revealed all the other wounds the kid had.

Hibari frowned at the many bruises, cuts, and grazes. He'd thought just the child's arms and knees had been hurt but…the cuts and bruises were everywhere. "You should go have a bath."

The small boy blinked. "…Huh?"

"I'm telling you to go wash up." Hibari said as he stood. "I was going to clean your injuries but it'd be better if you just have a bath. Go."

The brown-haired child just stood there, looking confused.

Hibari growled. "Bathroom. Now." His cold blue eyes stared down at the little kid, daring him to defy the order.

The guest gulped before turning to the door and padding away on newly cleaned feet. Hibari clicked his tongue and picked up the bowl, the pile of wet dirty wool, and the first aid box and followed him out. He pointed to his left, towards the bathroom and then went to the kitchen to put down his load.

He went to the bathroom, where the kid lingered awkwardly. "Do I have to do it all by myself?" Hibari huffed as he blocked the plughole in the bathtub and turned the faucets. Water gushed out. He turned back around. "Wash yourself. I'll get you some clean clothes to wear."

As he got to the door, however, the herbivore spoke. "Why…is Nii-chan…letting me have a bath here?"

Hibari looked over his shoulder, his eyes cold. "When someone's doing you a favour, don't ask why, stupid herbivore." He walked out, shutting the door behind him. He wasn't sure such a tiny kid could bathe himself properly but it'd be fine as long as some of the dirt got cleaned off.

He went back to the kitchen. He emptied the bowl from earlier and washed it in the sink. He put away the first aid kit and threw the dirty wool in the bin. He cleaned anything that needed to be cleaned. The bin was full so he emptied it and went to throw out the trash.

Cold night air hit his face as he opened the back door in the kitchen but he tried to pay it no mind as he went down the metal staircase and down two storeys. He threw the trash bag in the big bin that lay deeper in the alley before making his way back.

It was a good thing the kid wasn't outdoors at this point; the nights recently had been rather brutal. If he'd stayed out there any longer, he'd have caught his death of cold. Hibari guessed he'd have to keep the kid here a while longer. After all, it was useless doing an act of kindness and not following through with it. That'd be pretty pointless and Kyouya Hibari didn't like pointless things.

When he came back up, he went to get the herbivore some clothes. What a bother. He found an old elementary school uniform that he'd kept from his first year. It consisted of a pair of short grey pants and a white shirt. He didn't have anything smaller.

He went to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Are you done, herbivore?"

"H-hai…"

He went in. The kid was looking a _little_ better and he'd wrapped himself in a large cream-coloured towel. There were still some light streaks of dirt on his back where he'd not been able to reach properly. At least his face was clean. Hibari stuck the clothes on the top of the radiator. "You know how to dress yourself, right?"

The infant nodded.

Hibari held back a sigh of relief. He didn't want to have to take on the role of babysitter here. He'd not signed up to play "mommy"; he was just lending the kid a helping hand. "Good." He turned back to the door.

Just then, a curious sound filled the air. Hibari turned back and his gaze fell on the source of the noise. He cocked an eyebrow. The little boy wrapped his towel over his stomach, looking down at his feet.

"You're hungry."

"I-I'm…okay…" the brown-haired kid muttered, still looking down at his feet.

Hibari wanted to hit him. But he didn't. "Whatever. Come to the kitchen when you're done." He exited, closing the door behind him.

He wasn't that great a cook, what with having better things to do with his time than to learn about such things. When he didn't go out to eat, he got by on the simplest of meals; miso soup, rice, and tamagoyaki (or other side dishes or toppings). So he made that.

The rice was still cooking when the kid entered the room, a few minutes later. The button-up shirt he was wearing was supposed to have sleeves that went up to mid-bicep but they went down to his elbows. The end of the shirt was supposed to hang just beneath the waist but it went down to his mid-thighs. The pants were supposed to have been short but the ends pooled around his feet a little.

He looked at the tamagoyaki and miso soup on the table and the rice on the cooker and frowned. "I'm not…I don't…" At a loss for words, he looked down at his feet.

"Sit down." Hibari ordered, gesturing over at the small table beside the fridge. It had a beige top while the legs were white. The two chairs set on opposite sides were also beige and white, once again matching the colour theme of the apartment.

The kid went over to the table without another word. He pulled one chair back and clambered onto it. He was sitting about a foot away from the tabletop so he slipped off the chair and pushed it closer and then climbed back on.

He was a quiet kid; he didn't make a single sound while the rice was cooking. When it was done, Hibari poured the rice into a bowl and, getting out a pair of chopsticks, he went over to the table. He set down the bowl and the chopsticks in front of the boy before taking a seat in the other chair.

His guest didn't move and continued looking down at his hands, resting at the edge of the table. Hibari held back a sigh. "Eat."

Only then did the smaller child picked up the chopsticks and pull the bowl towards him. "I-Itadakimasu…" he mumbled.

He probably would have eaten the rice just like that if Hibari hadn't pushed the tamagoyaki and the miso soup across the table towards him. What a silly little boy; there wasn't any use acting so humble when the food was already prepared.

Hibari watched as the boy ate. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. "You…" he said at one point, "what's your name?"

The kid looked up briefly before casting his gaze down once more. "Tsu-Tsuna…Tsunayoshi Sawada."

Hibari said nothing in response. After a while, he stood up and walked out the door. He made his way to the bedroom and flicked on the light.

It was a large but pretty bare chamber. A small bed sat in the further right corner, next to the large window. Next to the bed was a desk, at the end of which rested a lamp. A swivel chair was pushed into the space beneath it. On the near right corner of the room, just beside the entrance, was a built-in closet and a wardrobe. The left side of the room was pretty much empty aside from one bookshelf stacked with homework from the past and a collection of manga and other assorted books that might appeal to an eleven-year-old.

The bedroom was the only room in the apartment which wasn't beige. It was black and white. From the covers on the bed to the wood of the desk, all the furniture was black. The ceiling and walls, in stark contrast, were white. And it all looked new in comparison to the rest of the apartment; the black carpet held no signs of wear, the walls were practically shining in their coats of white paint, and everything seemed well looked-after.

Hibari went to the closet and pulled the door back. Inside, the shelves were packed with folded towels and bed linen, and such. He pulled out a small futon and laid it out on the floor near the bookshelf, along with a thick quilted cover. It was nine-thirty already; the kid would probably need to sleep soon.

Having completed his task, Hibari left the room and went to check up on his guest. Tsunayoshi was still eating. What a slowpoke.

"When you've finished, clean up the dishes." Hibari said. "If you can't reach the sink, use the chair."

Tsunayoshi jumped a little and nearly dropped his bowl. He looked over his shoulder, eyes wide. "H-hai…"

Hibari rolled his eyes and turned to go to the living room. Not having anything else to do, he turned on the TV. But there wasn't much he was interested in at this time so he left it on a badly dubbed English movie and raised his legs and stretched them out on the table in front of him. He leaned back into the couch and folded his hands behind his head. Closing his eyes, he prepared to sleep…

Only to be interrupted by a smashing sound. His eyes snapped open and he stood up. He made his way to the source of the noise.

In the kitchen, Tsunayoshi was standing on a chair he'd pulled up towards the sink.

It was a good thing that the shirt Hibari had given the kid had been short-sleeved; his hands and arms were covered in soap bubbles and he had some across his nose too. The sink (and the surrounding area) was half full of foamy water, a little too much for just a few small dishes.

The cause of the noise was on the floor, shattered in a hundred different pieces. The bowl had been covered in soap bubbles too and it had left a trail of the floor. The wet sponge was also on the floor, having slipped out of the kid's hands.

Tsunayoshi looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I-I'm…sorry…I'm sorry, Nii-chan!"

Hibari tried to control his ire. He was supposed to be in a good mood today. He was a lot more forgiving when he was in a good mood. And besides, if he struck the kid, there wouldn't have been any point being kind to Tsunayoshi in the first place. He breathed in through his nose and slowly let it out – it was something he'd learnt off the TV a while ago; it apparently helped calm one down.

It seemed to work because he did feel himself relaxing…just a little. "You're useless." he said as he bent down to retrieve the sponge. He dropped it into the sink and went to get a dustpan and brush to clean up the broken pieces of the bowl.

Tsunayoshi stayed on the chair until Hibari had finished cleaning up the mess. Hibari gestured for him to get down. He did so…and promptly tripped over his own feet. "Wah…!"

He got up, lower lip trembling. Hibari shook his head in disapproval. No wonder the brat had so many cuts and bruises; he was so clumsy. "You should get ready to sleep; I'll deal with this."

"B-but…" Tsuna mumbled, looking down at the ground. "I-I can…"

"I said I'll deal with it." Hibari said. "Get ready for bed." He pushed the chair back and unplugged the plughole to let the water drain out.

Tsuna looked up at him, confusion now mixed in with the hurt and pain on his face. "B-bed…?"

"There's a futon in the bedroom; you can sleep on that." Hibari said as he washed the dishes.

"O-oh. Okay…" the smaller boy turned and shuffled out.

Hibari watched him go. It was kind of funny how cute and clumsy Tsunayoshi was. The older boy's anger was long gone.

* * *

I hope none of the descriptions (of the apartment, and the bedroom, etc.) were too confusing. I'm still a novice :'(

Anyway, I'm going to be uploading this story every other day so I hope you guys won't be waiting around too long. Ciao! And thanks for reading!


	2. First Day

Phew! Glad people are liking this thus far ^_^

Evian321 (thanks for the review, by the way): there's quite a difference in their ages in the story. This chapter should clear that up :)

* * *

Hibari entered his bedroom and, kneeling down besides the futon he'd set up for the child, he rapped his knuckles on Tsuna's head three times in quick succession. "Wake up, herbivore."

He didn't wait for a response as he went to the kitchen and got down to cooking some breakfast. This was such a bother. The kid would have to overcome his clumsiness and make food for himself in future.

Setting the rice and the miso soup on the table, Hibari went to see what was taking the brat so long. He went back to his bedroom and saw that Tsuna was still sleeping. He went up to the boy and, this time, he rapped Tsuna's head a little harder. "Wha…it hurts…" Tsuna's eyes opened. He saw Hibari and bolted upright. "Nii-chan!"

Hibari gazed at him long and hard. "When I say something, I expect you to listen the first time. If you make me repeat myself, I'll bite you to death."

"H-hai…" pale-faced, Tsuna bowed, "I'm sorry."

Hibari stood up. "Breakfast's ready. Come and eat."

In the kitchen, he sat down at the table and began to eat. Tsuna came in a while later, face and hands washed, and picked up his bowl of rice. He muttered "itadakimasu" and made to dig in.

"You should drink water first." Hibari said. Putting down the bowl, Tsuna did as Hibari asked and downed half the contents of the glass which had been placed beside his miso soup.

Breakfast was a silent affair. When Hibari was done, he stood to take his dishes to the sink and washed them. He left Tsuna at the table and went to the living room, where he picked up his black school jacket and slung it over his shoulders.

His uniform consisted of a white shirt and full-length black pants. It wasn't actually standard-issue since Nami Elementary School's boys' uniform was made up of short pants which were grey in colour but no one would dare pester him about it so he did as he pleased.

Making sure he had his trusty tonfa on his person, he went to have a word with Tsunayoshi. "I'm going to school. Don't do anything stupid."

Tsuna turned in his seat. Hibari tried not to make a face as he saw the bits of rice and soup stuck around the younger boy's mouth area. "O-ok, Nii-chan. Wh-what should I do…?"

"How do I know?" Hibari scoffed. "Watch TV or something." He turned away but before he walked off, he remembered something and looked to the child again. "Just try not to break anything."

Tsuna looked down. "H-hai…"

"Leave the dishes; I'll wash them when I get back. If you want something to eat, just…try not to break anything."

"Hai."

Hibari walked towards the front door of the apartment. He wondered if it was wise leaving the brat here on his own. But there was nothing else Hibari could do.

As he opened the door, he cast a glance back and saw that the herbivore was standing beside the protruding corner of the living room. He looked down when Hibari met his gaze. "Um…th-thank you, Nii-chan…" he mumbled, staring at the floor.

Hibari foreboding disappeared. What a cute little herbivore. "I'm going to lock the door. Remember; don't make a mess." He stepped out and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Tsuna looked at the mess he made while eating breakfast. Surely he couldn't just leave it like this? Mommy had always told him to clean up after himself. Nii-chan had said not to make a mess. So, now that he _had_ made a mess, it was only polite to clean it up.

So he went to get the kitchen roll from the counter. He couldn't reach properly. When he did manage to get a proper hold of the last leaf, the roll tipped over and fell off the counter. The tissues unravelled and spread across the floor. "Uh-oh…" Tsuna mumbled.

The roll came to a stop down the length of half the kitchen. Tsuna hurriedly bent down to gather up the roll. He would get into trouble for this! Unfortunately, the harder he pulled on the end of the long string of tissues, the farther away the roll went. After a while, he gave up trying to drag it and stood up and walked over to it instead. He settled down to roll the tissues up again.

It was taking a long time. He nearly gave up because it was so boring. But Nii-chan wouldn't be too happy to see something like this so the boy continued the task. The end result wasn't nearly as neat as it had been before he'd dropped it but he'd tried his best. And he didn't want to have to go through the process of undoing it and fixing it again.

He broke off one tissue with the utmost care and put the roll back on the counter before going over to the table. He clambered onto the chair and wiped the tabletop but the glob of miso soup he'd spilled earlier only smeared across more of the surface. His tissue ripped so he went to get another one. He jumped up and wrapped his hands firmly around the tissue roll and brought it down. He took it to the table and, putting it down, he scrambled up the chair again.

He tried to clean the mess up and, this time, fared a little better, although he didn't get it perfect. But he decided that that would do. Anymore and he'd get even more bored. He jumped down from his chair again, nearly falling over as he alighted on the ground, and took the dirty tissues to the bin.

He picked up his dishes and took them over to the sink. He winced when they landed in the sink with a loud clatter. Last night's incident made him forego washing them. Nii-chan had said he'd do it when he came back anyway.

With nothing further to do, he left the kitchen and went to the living room. Nii-chan had said he could watch TV. He took the remote and clicked the little red button at the top. The screen flickered to life.

Tsuna stared, mouth curling in a horror-struck expression. On the TV, a lion was feeding on a deer, ripping out chunks of flesh and chewing with its mighty teeth. The fur around its mouth was matted with the blood of its prey.

He wanted to look away but, for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off. Mommy had never let him watch stuff like. She'd said he was easily scared. That was certainly the case. The fine hairs on his arms stood on end. His mouth was agape.

The screen switched. The narrator described something about the hunting techniques of lions as another of the mighty beasts caught a small animal to feed on.

The poor deer. There were tears in Tsuna's eyes as he watched the smaller animal go down. And then he gagged as its neck was bitten into and its flesh was torn off. Bile rose up his throat and he could feel his still-digesting breakfast rising up.

He clamped a hand over his mouth and bolted out of the room. There were dangers in letting his vomit out in the living room; he knew so from past experience. If his mommy, who had usually been cordial even under the most trying of moments, got annoyed and told him off when he spilt something on the living room carpet, then what would a stranger do? And a scary stranger at that?

He barely made it to the bathroom before his vomit burst out. Luckily, most of it went into the toilet bowl. He puked out the entirety of his breakfast, still recalling images of the deer's neck being bitten into and eaten. He'd always thought lions were cool but that wasn't the case anymore! They were so scary!

When he was done, he sat down beside the toilet. He felt awful and the taste in his mouth was disgusting. What should he do? The bathroom smelled really bad and he'd left a little trail of vomit on the floor. If Nii-chan saw this, wouldn't he get mad?

So the little boy heaved himself to his feet. He staggered as a wave of nausea overcame him. Fortunately, the wall was right behind him so he fell against that. He slid down, willing his head to clear and the pictures of the broken deer to disappear.

He stayed there awhile, until he felt a little better. And then he got up to clear his vomit. After all, leaving one's mess behind was a bad thing. Mommy had always said so.

* * *

It was about half five in the afternoon when Hibari got back home. He opened the door and the first thing he noted was the faint smell of vomit. He took off his shoes and went inside, leaving the plastic bag he'd been carrying against the wall.

He opened the door of the bathroom. That was where the smell had to be coming from. He made a face as he looked down. The floor was just a bit dirty because some vomit was smeared on it. Pokerfaced, he closed the door.

"Herbivore?" he called out. He walked into the living room. The TV was on, although it was on low, running a programme about sea creatures. With a frown, Hibari walked up to the couch. He'd not been able to see over the back of it but Tsuna was curled up there, fast asleep.

Hibari left the room and went to the kitchen. He was expecting more mess but it wasn't too bad. There were some dishes in the sink that needed to be washed and the table was a bit dirty but that was it. With an aggravated sigh, Hibari set about cleaning that and then went to deal with the mess in the bathroom.

Having done that, he washed his hands and returned to the kitchen. He got a packet of cookies from one of the higher cupboards and poured a glass of milk and went to the living room. He set his load on the table and sat down on the unoccupied end of the couch. He took the remote and browsed through the channels.

Tsuna woke up a little while later. Big brown eyes opened and the first thing he saw was Hibari. He shot up. "Nii-chan!"

Hibari's brow dipped at the sudden noise. He swallowed the cookie he was chewing. "Don't be noisy, herbivore."

"S-sorry…" the smaller boy's eyes travelled to the packet of cookies and the glass of milk. His hand went to his stomach as it growled.

Hibari looked down at him. "Did you eat?"

Tsuna shook his head. "I-I wasn't feeling very well…so I went to sleep."

The older boy frowned, "when did you go to sleep?"

Tsuna's brows came together as he thought, "um…a bit after Nii-chan left."

Hibari sighed. "You've been sleeping all day?" It was probably just as well, since the brat had not had a chance to break anything or maim himself.

"Um…I did get up to go to the bathroom..." the little boy counted on his fingers and held up three, "three times."

"I see." Hibari pushed the packet of cookies onto Tsuna's hands. "Here." His glass of milk was untouched so he slid that across the table until it was in front of the little boy. "You can have this too."

"Th-thank you…" Tsuna mumbled. He took a cookie and nibbled on it.

There was silence as Hibari watched the TV and Tsuna ate. Hibari then stood up and went to fetch the bag he'd dropped on his way in. He returned to his seat and passed it over to the smaller boy.

"Wh-what's this?" Tsuna asked as he swallowed the cookie he'd been eating for the past five minutes or so. He put down the packet of cookies and took the handles of the bag to peer inside.

Hibari ignored the question. "There's something I want to know. You said something about a fire, right? What happened?"

Tsuna's curiosity at the contents of the bag died down and he looked away. "M-mommy and daddy…" Tears came to his eyes and he wiped at them as he bit his lip. "Th-they…they died…" He bit down harder to avoid the sobs that were trying to break out. His shoulders shook and his hands, holding onto the bag, tightened into fists.

Hibari tilted his head to the side. His parents died in a fire? "How long ago was this?"

Tsuna shrugged. "N-not very long…"

"Didn't the social workers take care of you?" If he'd been a proper citizen or whatever, social services should have taken care of him so what had he been doing wandering around on the streets?

The kid nodded once. "B-but…I was…I didn't…stay very long…"

Hibari's brows came together in a tight frown. "Why?"

The brown-haired child shrugged. "I-I…I didn't like it there…and I missed…mommy and daddy…"

"I don't think you had much of a choice." Hibari said, his tone and expression unsympathetic. "You could have died if you stayed out on the streets."

"I-I can't…go there…" Tsuna mumbled.

"And why not? If you have no place to go, that should have become your home." Hibari said, still looking unconcerned. "You should be thankful you have a place to go at all."

"But…maybe I don't want to live…"

The boy said it so quietly Hibari barely heard it. "What?"

Tsuna shook his head and ran the back of his hand over his eyes. "N-Nothing…"

Was it so bad that his parents were gone that he couldn't continue his life anymore? That was just pathetic. But the thing on Hibari's mind right now was… "How old are you?" he asked. In his opinion, this little runt was only about four so what did he know about living and dying? What did he understand about the reasons that people lived for?

Tsuna blinked. "Huh…? Um…seven."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. Seven? He did not look it. "Really? You're so small."

A faint streak of red raced across Tsuna's cheeks. "D-daddy always said I was small for my age…"

There was silence for a while. Hibari turned his head towards the TV again. Tsuna peered into the bag Hibari had given him.

A minute passed by. Hibari got to his feet but, before he walked off, he lifted a hand to Tsuna's head and gave the fluffy brown hair a good ruffle. "Don't be so quick to give up on life, herbivore." He left the room.

Tsuna frowned as he watched the older boy go. "…Huh?"

Hibari went to get changed into some casual clothes and, leaving the bedroom, he stopped by the small closet in the hall and pulled out a black jacket. He shrugged it on as he stopped by the door of the living room. "Herbivore, I'm going out."

"O-okay…" Tsuna said as he stood on the couch to see over the top.

"The stuff in the bag should be all right for now but is there anything else you want?" Hibari asked.

The younger boy shook his head. "No thank you."

Hibari walked to the front door, feeling amused. What a polite little herbivore.

Outside, he began in the direction of the police station. He had some queries.

* * *

Tsuna gazed at the clock. It was ten. It was so dark outside. He was hungry but he couldn't summon up the courage to browse around the kitchen and fix himself something to eat. He was waiting for Nii-chan to come back.

He'd been watching TV all day. Well, not really _watching_ it; it just filled the empty apartment with some noise. The packet of cookies he'd been given earlier was half empty. He'd not meant to eat that much; he hoped Nii-chan wouldn't mind. He'd put the glass of milk in the kitchen sink after emptying it.

The front door opened and then closed. Tsuna got up and crept up to the doorway and peered around it. Hibari had removed his shoes and was coming over. "Herbivore." he said by way of greeting as he paused at the doorway. He held a bag in his hands and handed it over. "Here. It's a uniform."

"Uniform?" Tsuna frowned as he reached out to take the bag. It was a bit weighty.

Hibari nodded once. He raised the hand which had held the bag and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "It's late; you should be asleep by now. You've eaten?"

Tsuna shook his head. "I…was waiting for Nii-chan…"

Hibari clicked his tongue. "Don't do that. By eight, you should be in bed…at least on weekdays."

Tsuna looked down at his feet. "Okay…sorry, Nii-chan."

Hibari ruffled his hair again before going towards the kitchen. "Come. I'll make you something."

"Hai…" Tsuna put the bag down and followed after the older boy.

Hibari set about making a simple tuna sandwich. "The uniform, in case you're wondering," he said as he worked, "is for school; you're going to school from tomorrow."

Tsuna blinked owlishly. "…Huh?"

Hibari brought the sandwich over, along with a glass of orange juice. "It's not wise to sit around doing nothing so I had you enrolled. The authorities…" a small smirk curved his lips, "approved my decision and agreed to letting you stay here." He took the other seat.

Tsuna's hands paused in lifting the sandwich to his lips, his mouth slightly agape. He blinked a few times, trying to process this information. "But…Nii-chan is…how old is Nii-chan?"

"Twelve."

"Then…can Nii-chan really…make decisions like that…?"

Hibari shrugged one shoulder, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. "It doesn't matter; if there's something you want, you take it."

Tsuna's sandwich wasn't going to get eaten anytime soon. He lowered it back onto the plate, his eyes locked on the older boy with a frown. "But…won't people stop you if the things you want aren't…fair?"

Hibari smirked. "Then you get strong. Strong enough to overcome such obstacles."

"So…Nii-chan is…strong?"

"Yes…I am."

The awe in Tsuna's gaze grew. _So cool!_ He thought. If you want something, take it? Only the most confident and most strong could have such an attitude.

Hibari looked down at the sandwich. "Eat. And then get to sleep."

Tsuna did as asked. As he ate, he thought. Hibari had said "letting you stay here". Did that mean Tsuna would be here a while longer? He didn't particularly care if he lived out on the streets; after all, he had no reason to live now that his parents were gone…how _could_ he live? He didn't have anyone to make his meals, to ready his clothes, to give him proper baths, to tuck him in at night with a kiss to the forehead and say "goodnight".

But, maybe…just maybe, he could find a _new_ reason, impossible as it seemed in this empty life of his…maybe his reason could be to…to become strong…like Nii-chan…? But could he do it? He was rather pathetic, as his classmates had never failed to mention back when he still went to school.

He could certainly try, though. He _would_ try. If he was strong, he wouldn't be a burden to this boy.

"N-Nii…chan…?" he looked up cautiously.

"Hn?"

"Can…can I ask a favour?"

Hibari cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Can…Nii-chan teach me…to be strong?"

The older boy looked a little surprised. "_Teach_ you to be strong? It's not something that I can teach you."

"Oh." Tsuna looked down at his half-eaten sandwich. "Then…how do I get strong…?"

He didn't see but a shadow of a smile flitted across Hibari's lips. He looked amused. "Watch. Learn by watching."

Tsuna looked up, brows pulled together in puzzlement. "Watching…?"

Hibari nodded once. "Like a monkey; imitate what you see."

Like a…? Wasn't it quite offensive being called a monkey? Tsuna blinked three times in quick succession. But monkeys did like to imitate. So, like that? "Oh…ok."

Hibari stood up. "After you're finished, be sure to brush your teeth."

"Hai…wh-what about the dishes?"

"I'll wash them." He walked out.

Tsuna finished eating as quickly as he could and hopped down off the chair and went to leave the dishes in the sink, wincing when they fell in with a clatter. After that, he padded over to the living room and took both the bags he'd received. He looked into the more recent one, containing his uniform.

He was a bit surprised to see his old school's uniform in there. There was a white shirt, a grey blazer, grey short pants, white knee-high socks, and a white cap. There was also a pair of black school shoes in there, which was why it was a bit heavy.

It all brought back so many memories – even though he'd only been attending school for a few months before the fire incident happened – that tears came to his eyes. He hurriedly rubbed them away though, and went to get ready for bed.

Along with two pairs of casual outfits, some pyjamas, and a pair of slippers for indoor use, there was also a toothbrush in the other bag. Thinking about all this, Tsuna felt kind of overwhelmed. His first impression of Nii-chan had been that he was quite scary, because his eyes were so cold, but he was so kind in getting all this stuff. He didn't even have any reason to…at least, not that Tsuna knew of. _Did_ he have reason? But he'd said not to ask. Tsuna just had to be thankful. Mommy had always said to say thanks when someone did a good deed for you.

After finishing up in the bathroom, he went to the bedroom. Nii-chan was sitting on his bed, reading a book by the light of the lamp. He looked up as Tsuna came in. The futon was still messy from when he'd woken up that morning.

"Fold the bedding and put it to the side when you wake up in the morning." Hibari said, going back to his book.

"Hai." Tsuna slid under the thick quilted cover and pulled it up to his chin. "Goodnight, Nii-chan."

"Hn…" was Hibari's response.

Tsuna rolled over and closed his eyes. For the first time in a while, a smile found its way to his lips. Life had gotten good again.

* * *

Thank you for sticking with me so far! I hope I shall not disappoint you.

So, Hibari's twelve and Tsuna's seven.

Hibari's age isn't determined in the manga anyway (stupid Hibari; I really wanna know how old he is .) but I think, at most, (in the manga) there could be three years between him and Tsuna. So, about 16-17? Or maybe, like some people are speculating, he's not actually human but a being formed through the collection of memories and feelings that were left lingering around Nami-chuu, which is why he loves his school so much (and the reason he's so bloodthirsty is cuz some students got so pissed with school that they spilt blood, sometimes even their own, haha...wait, that's not a laughing matter) XXD it'd be awesome if he was, lol. Weird, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be able to grow and, as we all know, he did grow (into a _very_ fine young man, might I add).

I hope you enjoyed! Later!


	3. School

The herbivore was getting a little more confident with talking to Hibari, the older boy noted the next morning. When Hibari went to wake him up, he rose with a bright "good morning, Nii-chan".

"Breakfast's ready." Hibari said as he walked towards the door.

"Can I…have a bath first?" the boy asked.

Hibari gazed at the clock on his desk. "Make it quick. We're setting off for school in forty-five minutes."

"Hai."

After breakfast, the small child even offered to wash the dishes, although Hibari declined – confidence could be built up, certainly, but clumsiness didn't just go away, as the boy had proved when he'd tripped at least three times during his bath; the painful-sounding thuds had been heard loud and clear all the way in the kitchen.

As they set out for school, Tsuna became a little more talkative. He told Hibari, without being prompted, that he used to go to Namimori Elementary before he'd stopped going to school.

Hibari frowned. Nami Elementary? Hibari hadn't come across him before. Well, it wasn't like he knew everyone in the school. He'd have to check the files.

He'd gotten a little info on the Sawada family yesterday. The fire had happened six weeks ago. Apparently, the bodies of two adults had been found inside, charred badly. According to the firemen, a knocked-out Tsuna had been shoved out of the backdoor by his father, who had then gone back to get Nana, but he'd never made it out.

Hibari had gone to see the remains of the house. It had all been destroyed. The stairs had collapsed. All the furniture had burned up. The outside walls were barely standing. Tsuna hadn't been allowed to see the remains of his parents and, according to the social workers, during his brief stay at the children's home, he'd been withdrawn and cried a lot. All the information made Hibari's pity for the child grow even more. So he'd become the kid's "official" guardian.

"Ano, Nii-chan?" Tsuna asked, looking up with curiosity.  
"Hn?"

"How come Nii-chan doesn't wear the uniform?"

"Because I don't want to." Hibari responded.

"Oh…don't the teachers shout at Nii-chan then?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because they wouldn't dare."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter."

"O-okay." Tsuna gazed down at his school shoes. He got like that every time Hibari reprimanded him (which he'd done at least fifty times since the brat had woken up). But he wasn't the type to be upset by little things for long.

"Nii-chan?" he asked.

"What?"

"Am I going to walk home with Nii-chan when school finishes?"

Hibari looked down at him. "Of course."

Tsuna smiled. "Ok!"

The rest of the trip passed in silence. When they arrived at the school, Tsuna stopped in the gates. Hibari continued walking a few paces until he realised the herbivore wasn't beside him. He looked back to see the kid staring up at the building, his eyes glassy.

"Herbivore?" Hibari called.

Tsuna blinked to get rid of the moisture. He smiled, although it was shaky, and continued walking. "S-sorry, Nii-chan…I-it hurts…" He put a hand over his heart, his head bowed.

Hibari sighed. And this kid wanted to be stronger? It was quite amusing that an herbivore wanted to be strong. But then again, everyone wanted that, didn't they? Only those with the willpower to follow through with the desire got what they wanted, though. And Hibari was one of those people.

"I said I can't teach you how to be strong, but here's a little advice," he said in a monotone as he continued looking straight ahead, "never show your tears where others might see them."

Tsuna looked up at him with wide eyes, taking in every syllable that was uttered. "I shouldn't…cry? Is that something that a…herbivore would do?"

"Yes. It's something only herbivores do."

"Really…?" the younger child ran the back of his sleeve across his eyes. He blinked a few times and sniffed hard to pull up whatever snot might be in his nose so that it didn't leak out. He wiped at his eyes again. After this little display, his expression hardened into one of determination. He looked up with clear brown eyes, the clearest they'd been since Hibari had first seen him. "I don't want to be a herbivore." he said.

The corner of Hibari's lips twitched. What a nice expression. He reached a hand to the boy's head and ruffled his hair. "Then grow stronger."

Tsuna nodded. "Hai."

* * *

"Oh, it's Baka-Tsuna!" Kawasaki, the class bully Tsuna still remembered, greeted as Tsuna stepped through the door.

Tsuna felt nervous. He'd not been here in so long! And he was sure everybody knew what had happened. Suddenly, coming to school didn't seem like a good idea. He looked back towards the door but Nii-chan had left already.

Aoki-sensei, the same gentle teacher he remembered, looked shocked. "Tsu-Tsuna-kun!" She came towards him and bent down to look at him properly. Her face was a picture of concern. "Are you all right?"

Tsuna nodded, a light blush colouring his cheeks. He really wasn't used to this attention. He didn't like it. He'd rather just sit in the back like he usually did and get on with whatever the teacher said they'd be doing today.

"Are you sure?" sensei asked. "How are you?"

"I-I'm fine…" he mumbled, the hand clutching the book-bag he'd received from Nii-chan a tight fist. Everybody in the class was staring at him. Even Kawasaki the bully didn't look quite so mean anymore. Tsuna lowered his gaze to the floor.

Sensei didn't let him go to his seat like he wanted though. She still stood there, bent down as she gazed at him. "I'm sorry, Tsuna-kun."

He nodded once, acknowledging her condolence. He didn't cry, like he wanted to. He wouldn't cry so easily. Not anymore. Only herbivores cried.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Whispers could be heard in the very back of the class. Sensei then sighed and patted him on the head. "Why don't you go sit down, hmm? We'll have fun today, won't we?"

He looked at her as she straightened up. She smiled in encouragement. He nodded and went to sit in the seat he'd occupied until some five weeks ago. He was sat next to the window and had a good view of the school grounds.

It brought back so many memories. He'd always wandered around aimlessly, looking longingly at the groups of children playing, until playtime had been over. And then he'd come back to the classroom and sit on his own, trying his best to keep to himself since no one liked him and wanted nothing to do with him. Sometimes, though, he'd be forced to partake in the activities by the teacher and then he'd make a fool of himself and have all the other kids laugh at him.

He'd missed this normalcy…this…anchor…of being around other kids his age, of doing normal things, even if he was useless at them. It was all representative of a past long gone, a past that had gone up in flames. A past where he'd been happier.

But he'd told himself that he would make a new reason for living now. He would live to become strong. His parents had brought him into this world and they'd showered him with adoration; he had to repay that debt by living as best he could. He would grow stronger and live an honourable life. At the least, his parents would be happy, wherever they were now.

"Tsuna-kun?"

He blinked. He turned his gaze away from the window and looked towards the front. Sensei stood off to the side of the room, beside a tape player, with a thick bunch of picture cards in hand. She smiled at him, "would Tsuna-kun like to play a game with us?"

Tsuna glanced at his classmates. Some were whispering quietly among themselves while others were looking at him, pity in their gazes. He felt annoyance; he didn't want to be shown such emotions. "No." his reply came out ruder than he'd meant for it to.

Sensei didn't know how to respond to that. She'd clearly been expecting him to go along with the plan but she didn't want to pressure him. "Oh…I see. Well, okay then. Would Tsuna-kun like to draw something while the rest of the class plays?"

He shrugged. "Ok."

Playtime came not too long after. He shuffled out of the class after the other students. In the playground, he went meandering as he used to do before, with no friends by his side. He was used to this but…now, it felt even worse. The last time he'd been here, trying to forget the fact that he had no friends and that no one wanted to know him, he'd at least had a family, he'd known that, when school finished, his mother would come to pick him up, wearing a bright smile like she always did. But he didn't have that anymore.

He sniffled. Ka-chan…But he couldn't cry! Only herbivores cried! He wiped furiously at his eyes. But his sniffling didn't stop. Every time he thought about it, the tears came. He'd have to learn to control that.

But the flood of memories that came over him whenever he thought of his mother, possibly his only friend in the entire world, always brought with it the sense of loneliness and despair. He felt so homesick. He sniffled again and ran the back of his sleeve over his eyes.

He bumped into someone. He staggered back but a hand caught his arm and steadied him before he could fall. "S-sorry…" he looked up and his homesickness was shoved aside. "Nii-chan!"

"What're you doing, herbivore?" Hibari asked as he let go.

"N-nothing…" Tsuna mumbled, hurriedly rubbing at his eyes. He hoped his unshed tears weren't visible in his eyes. "Why…why is Nii-chan here?"

The older boy scoffed. "I attend this school too."

"Oh. Right. So…Nii-chan has playtime too?"

"No."

Tsuna frowned. "Then…why is Nii-chan out here?"

Hibari shrugged. "I was bored. It's not like I care what happens to you that I had to come see how you were doing or anything." His expression was one of indifference, though he looked away.

Tsuna blinked. "Oh."

Hibari turned around. "Ah, wait!" Tsuna called out as he went after him. "Where are you going, Nii-chan?"

"It doesn't matter."

Tsuna stopped. "O-ok…"

Hibari continued on his way. "Don't do anything stupid now. I'll see you at home time." He put a hand up in an unmoving wave.

He left Tsuna to stare after him in puzzlement, wondering just what it was that he'd come for. But it was probably because he'd seen Nii-chan that his sadness had abated a little.

* * *

Hibari stopped by the door of Tsuna's classroom. There were still five minutes left until school finished but he couldn't be bothered waiting so he opened the door and went inside.

A woman with a blonde bob looked up at him. Brown eyes went a little wide. "H-Hibari-kun…what can I do for you?" she sounded quite nervous.

"I'm here for Tsunayoshi Sawada," he said as he looked around at the seated students. Tsuna was sitting at the very back, staring out the window with his chin propped up in his hand, lost in his thoughts. "Herbivore." Hibari said, just a little louder.

Tsuna turned his head. His eyes went wide. "N-Nii-chan!"

Sensei's eyes were wide too. "Nii…chan…?" She looked between Tsuna and Hibari, confusion written all over her face. Weren't the herbivore's teachers aware of his situation? Well, not that it mattered.

"Come on. We're leaving." Hibari said before turning to the door.

"Hai!" Tsuna jumped down from his seat and gathered up his shoulder bag and his book bag. He made his way to the front, staggering a few times on the way. He stopped by the front desk. "See you tomorrow, Sensei!" he smiled brightly before following Hibari. Sensei made to call out to him but he snapped the door shut on his way out.

Tsuna slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder as he ran to catch up. "What class did Nii-chan have now?"

Hibari felt no need to reply. He was not in a good mood, though he tried to tone his anger down in the presence of the kid.

Four boys had escaped his grasp and he was pissed. There had been six of them and they'd been vandalising school property, writing obscene messages with spray paint cans. He _hated_ graffiti. But while he'd been busy beating two of them up, the other four had run away. He remembered their faces though, and when he saw them, he'd deal with them.

"Nii-chan?"

He looked down, his gaze sharper than he'd meant for it to be. Tsuna visibly flinched. Hibari sighed. "What is it?"

Tsuna looked down, a little cowed. "N-nothing."

They emerged outside. Hibari scanned the surroundings, hoping to catch sight of his prey. But all the students were beginning to emerge out of the school and leaving for home so he couldn't see properly. He scowled. Those around him noted his presence and moved out of the way, giving him a wide berth, but he still couldn't see through the masses.

Tsuna stared around in wonder as the students who cast a gaze at Hibari immediately bowed their heads and passed by in silence. "Is Nii-chan respected at school?" the little boy asked.

"Hn…" was Hibari's response.

They emerged out of the school gates. By chance, Hibari's saw that which he was seeking. Further down the street, he saw four familiar figures. His vision zeroed in on them. His hand went to rest on Tsuna's shoulder and he pushed the boy against the wall. "Stay here." he said.

"Huh…?" Tsuna mumbled, but Hibari was already bolting down the street. Four murders were going to occur in Namimori this afternoon. He took out his tonfa.

He was far faster than his prey and caught up easily. They'd spotted him and were trying to run away even faster but they'd barely turned the corner before he struck the first of them. "I'll bite you all to death." he declared.

"Shinji!" another of the boys, this one with messy light brown hair, cried out as his companion fell. But he didn't have time to worry about others. Hibari took a tonfa to his fair-haired head. It hit with enough force to knock the kid out.

The remaining two tried to make a break for it, looking terrified as they stumbled over one another in their haste.

"You won't escape a second time," Hibari said with deadly calmness. With a leap, a kick, and two strikes of his tonfa, Hibari knocked them off their feet and out cold. "Hn…" He looked down at them. "Let that be a lesson to you; anyone who defiles school property shall be bitten to death." he said, even though they were all knocked out. He flicked the blood off his tonfa before he sheathed them. He turned…and stopped.

Tsuna was standing behind a lamppost, his eyes wide and his frame shaking as he looked at the four boys on the floor and then up at their assailant. Hibari went up to him. "Your knees are wobbling. Are you scared, herbivore?" his tone was mocking.

Tsuna looked down. "N-n-no…"

"You're lying."

The little boy made no response. Hibari walked past Tsuna and began making his way towards where he'd come from, ignoring all the other horrified students who'd witnessed the fight. "Let's go."

"H-hai…"

Hibari didn't see but, some ways behind him, a group of three tough-looking, older boys smirked as they watched Tsuna catch up and have his hair ruffled by Hibari.

* * *

The kid was thinking far too much. His gaze found its way to Hibari quite a lot. It was annoying. "What're you staring at, herbivore?" Hibari demanded.

Tsuna jumped, nearly dropping the glass of milk he'd been drinking from. "N-nothing…sorry…" He took a long sip, an excuse to turn his gaze away.

They were sitting at the kitchen table. Dinner had been over and done with more than an hour ago. Hibari had been making himself some hot chocolate and the kid had wanted a glass of milk so he'd warmed some.

Hibari gazed at the oven clock. "Hurry up; it's almost eight."

"Hai." Tsuna took another sip. A few seconds passed. He snuck another puzzled glance at Hibari. Hibari was beginning to get aggravated. It wasn't now that this odd behaviour had begun; ever since they'd gotten home from school, the kid had been quieter than usual.

Big brown eyes slid towards cold blue ones. Tsuna quickly looked away when he saw that Hibari was staring back. Hibari hissed. "If you don't have the guts to ask, then do a better job of hiding your curiosity, herbivore."

Tsuna jumped again. "H-huh…?"

Hibari scoffed and downed the last of his hot chocolate before going over to the sink and washing the mug. "Don't do or say unnecessary things. Or I'll bite you to death."

Tsuna gulped. "H-hai…"

Hibari walked out of the kitchen and went to the living room. After a while, Tsuna came in too. He sat down beside him, back rigid. Hibari glanced down at him. "Milk tash; wipe it off."

Tsuna did as told and ran the back of his pyjama sleeve across his mouth area. "Um…can I ask Nii-chan something?" he mumbled, eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Hn?"

"Why does Nii-chan…live alone here?"

"I said not to say unnecessary things. That includes asking unnecessary things. If they're not important, then leave it be."

"Hai…sorry." Tsuna looked at the clock hung up on the wall. "I'll be going to bed now…"

"Hn…" Hibari's gaze didn't budge from the TV. He wasn't really watching it. They were showing an action movie but it was boring.

He heard Tsuna shuffle off. "Oyasumi nasai…Nii-chan." the child muttered.

Hibari put his hand up in acknowledgement. It wasn't too long before he decided to call it a night himself and went to get ready for bed.

As he climbing under the covers, he looked over at the herbivore on the futon. Even now, he was questioning why he'd done such a thing and let the boy stay here. But he kind of enjoyed it…the company…it had been so long since he'd been around another like this…

He shook his head. What ridiculous notions. He turned off the lamp and pulled the covers to his chin.

* * *

Tsuna was waiting for Nii-chan to come and pick him up at the end of school. The rest of his class had left. Even sensei had gone. She'd told him to go and wait in the main reception but he'd said no. Nii-chan was expecting to find him here, after all. The school was clearing out. It was so quiet. Where was Nii-chan? So much time had passed.

He heard hurried footsteps behind him and turned…but the one heading towards him was not Nii-chan; it was an older boy with a mean-looking smirk on his face. He wore a white bandanna around his forehead. It held back unruly brown hair. He was flanked by two others who looked just as mean.

"There he is!" one of the lackeys, a boy with longish black hair, called out as he pointed towards Tsuna.

Tsuna tried to get out of their way but they were too quick. They stopped and surrounded him. Panic started to rise and he tried to run, but he was jerked back as the leader took hold of his wrist and yanked.

"Ahaha, so this little runt is one Kyouya Hibari took in, huh?" the boy with the bandanna said. "Even that guy has a soft side. How surprising."

"Wh-who are you…?" Tsuna stammered, panic steadily rising. They were going to hurt him…why? What had he done wrong? His lower lip began to tremble and tears gathered at his eyes.

"Aw, look, he's crying!" the third boy, this one with short black hair, mocked as he ruffled Tsuna's hair a little too hard.

"A-aah!" Tsuna clutched at his head with his free arm. It hurt. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Why was he being treated like this?!

The three boys converged on him, looking down at him with bloodthirsty gazes. "Kyouya Hibari has a weakness. It's about time we got that bastard for what he did to our boss." the boy with the bandanna said, his grip on Tsuna's wrist tightening. A murmur of pain escaped Tsuna's lips and he tried to free himself. He tried to bolt but he was yanked back again.

"You can't escape, kid," the leader said, "we're going to use you to exact our revenge. Just be a good little boy and don't do anything. If you listen to us, we'll let you go unharmed."

Tsuna stopped struggling, the threat nearly paralysing him. They wouldn't hurt him…if he stayed still…right? He just had to stay still! He wiped at his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "B-but…who are you…?" he stammered, looking up at the boy who held his wrist. "Why…why are you after…Nii-chan…?"

"Heh." the leader scoffed, a scowl curling his lips, "that bastard Hibari made fools of our gang. He put our boss in hospital. Now, we're finally going to get revenge for the humiliation he made us suffer."

A sliver of coldness ran down Tsuna's spine and he shivered. Nii-chan was…Nii-chan was in trouble! There were three of these guys and they looked tough! Nii-chan wouldn't stand a chance! The boy frantically tried to break free. He had to warn Nii-chan! These guys were out for blood!

"I said stay still, you damn brat!" the leader punched the little boy across the face.

Tsuna cried out and staggered back. He tripped and fell. The force of the blow had brought water to his eyes. It hurt so much! He started to sob.

But he soon stopped and sat up straight, surprised, as a new voice rang out. "Outsiders cannot enter the school without permission." It was a low voice, the words said in an even tone. "Attacking Nami Elementary students will not be tolerated. And, most importantly, you herbivores are crowding around. The three of you shall be punished for these felonies. I'll bite you all to death."

"Kyouya Hibari!" the leader and his cohorts cried out as they turned towards the source of the voice.

"Nii-chan!" Tsuna cried, half in relief and half in fright. Nii-chan was here! But that would mean he'd get attacked by these guys! It was three on one! That wasn't fair! "Nii-chan, run!"

Hibari was making his way down the corridor towards them, tonfa in hand. He raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me orders, herbivore, or I'll bite you to death too."

Tsuna recoiled.

"Haha…" the boy with the bandanna began to snicker, "ahaha! So, you showed up at last, Hibari! It's time for payback!"

The boy with the longish black hair cackled too, "yeah, it's time we got our revenge!"

Bandanna reached down and, taking a hold of Tsuna's arm, he pulled the little boy to his feet. "You try to raise a hand against us, this kid's gonna get killed."

The knot of fear in Tsuna's stomach tightened painfully. Killed…? What should he do…?!

Long Black Hair pulled out a baseball bat from somewhere. "Just let us beat the shit out of you and the kid goes free, yeah?"

"I think you're mistaken about something." Hibari continued towards the group, undeterred. Tsuna's fear only grew, fear for his own life and Nii-chan's.

"Oh?" Bandanna sneered. "And what's that?"

Within a distance of six feet now, Hibari raised his tonfa and leapt. Tsuna, standing right in front of Bandanna, shrieked. The sight of an unhesitant Kyouya Hibari was quite scary. Was Tsuna going to get hit too?!

As Tsuna shrieked, Bandanna made to lift him up to take the attack but he was too slow…or, more like, Hibari was too fast. Bandanna took a direct hit to the side of the head and fell to the floor unconscious.

A sob broke past Tsuna's lips as he scrambled out of the way, thoroughly afraid. Wh-what was this…?! Why was this happening?!

"Aku-chin!" Long Black Hair yelled out as he raised his bat and tried to strike Hibari with it. But Hibari blocked it with one tonfa easily. Simultaneously, the other tonfa lodged into the gut of the remaining boy, who'd been trying to sneak up on him from the other side. Hibari shook off Long Black Hair's baseball bat and sent a sweeping kick to his flank. Long Black Hair let loose a cry of pain and fell to his knees, clutching his side.

Hibari rounded on the remaining boy, who had recovered from the blow to the gut and had produced a knife. He lashed at Hibari with it but Hibari's tonfa struck the boy hard on the wrist, making him lose his hold on his weapon. Hibari aimed a blow to his foe's head. The tonfa hit hard enough to knock the older boy out.

Hibari turned back to Long Black Hair and kicked him in the head, thus sending him to the floor in a messy inert heap.

"I have no weakness." Hibari said in response to Bandanna's earlier question. He looked at Tsuna. "Get up, herbivore. Let's go." He brought his tonfa down fast and the little bit of blood that had stuck on them flew off and he sheathed them.

He'd…defeated them so easily…! Tsuna's legs were shaking. Nii-chan really was strong. Gazing warily at the three unmoving bodies on the floor, Tsuna slowly got to his feet, using the wall as support. He went over to the book bag he'd dropped earlier and picked it up before following after Nii-chan.

He was so afraid. Nii-chan was…so strong…so…_deadly_. But he wasn't a bad person! Tsuna refused to believe that his Nii-chan was a bad person. He couldn't be! He'd given Tsuna shelter, hadn't he? He'd provided him with food? Tsuna shouldn't be scared! That was weak! And he'd said he'd be stronger! Only herbivores would be scared in this situation!

"Try to keep up, herbivore," Hibari called out from farther down the corridor.

The wobbling of Tsuna's knees stopped the more he thought about it. He shouldn't be scared of Nii-chan. "H-hai!" He ran to catch up, stumbling along the way as per usual.

Clutching his book bag to his chest, he looked up at Nii-chan. Hibari's face was, like always, blank. He was so mysterious; even though Tsuna had been living with him for three days now, he still didn't know much about him.

Hibari looked down and blue eyes met brown ones. "What're you staring at, herbivore?" he asked.

Tsuna immediately looked down. "S-sorry…" He remembered that Nii-chan had been late in coming and looked back up. "Nii-chan?"

"Hn?"

"Nii-chan was late…"

Hibari glanced down at him before returning his gaze ahead. "There were some…things to take care of."

Clearly, he wasn't going to emphasise. And he'd said not to ask unnecessary things so Tsuna kept quiet. He didn't want to be bitten to death, after all.

* * *

Hello, all!

to se-tar: yo! And yes, I've begun my _OOC_ Hibari fic :D about "herbivore"; that's basically Tsuna's title, lol. Maybe Hibari says it a lot because Tsuna _is_ a herbivore? XD During the course of the story, you won't hear Hibari calling Tsuna by his name (aside from that one instance up there in the classroom, but he wasn't talking to Tsuna then, so...). And the ruffling hair thing will happen _a lot_ (I have no idea why. Tsuna's head must be really soft _) About Hibari's age; I've checked all over the place but it doesn't say how old he is. I did assume he was two years ahead of Tsuna in school but then he goes and says he can be in whatever year he wants to be in -_- well, in the story, he's five years older, yay :D

And, of course, I did say to expect some OOCness, right? I tried my best to keep him IC but...c'mon, with this setting and these circumstances, you should understand that he's not going to be in character _all_ the time, right? And anway, we'll probably never know how he _would_ react in such situations so I'm making do with what I have, like all fanfic writers ^_^

(bloody A/U was too long. I do apologise -_-) have a good day!


	4. Shopping

to Synneofthesun: I use the western order for the names cuz it's an English story (awkward as hell sometimes, cuz I'm used to hearing "Sawada Tsunayoshi" and "Hibari Kyouya", and they flow _way_ better but...what can ya do, eh? :D) You do get English stories where they use words from other languages. I just feel that some Japanese words convey the character's personality better than their English counterparts (like, Tsuna says "hai" in response to Hibari a lot, cuz I feel it's more respectful than "yes" or "yeah"...right?)

Thank you for the reviews. It means a lot to know everyone's enjoying the story so far ^_^ (I keep expecting someone to comment saying they hate the story cuz it's bull***t but I'm glad that hasn't happened yet! But, if you do wish to leave a review about the writing sucking ass, then you're welcome to do so. Just don't diss the story idea. _Please_.)

Enjoy!

* * *

The next day was a Saturday. Hibari let Tsuna sleep in and, after he had a bath and had breakfast, he went back to sleep too. He hadn't meant to; he'd been watching an anime on TV and he'd just drifted off on the couch.

He only realised he'd nodded off when he woke up at the sound of a crash. It hadn't been very loud but he was a light sleeper. He got up and went to investigate.

In the kitchen, Tsuna had drawn a chair up to the fridge, which was open. He held a bottle of milk in both hands and he'd spilt a good amount of it on the counter next to the fridge. There was a pool of it on the floor too, among which was mixed in the shards of a glass. Tsuna put the milk bottle down and, not having noticed that Hibari was at the door, he scrambled off the chair. Only then, when he turned, did he notice Hibari. He jumped. "N-Nii-chan!"

Hibari walked towards the little boy. "What did you do?"

Tsuna looked down, one hand scratching the back of his head. "Um…I-I…I'm sorry!" He looked up with teary eyes. "I-I just…I just wanted to drink some milk! It was an accident! I'm sorry!" He screwed his eyes shut tight and he looked down at the ground.

Hibari stopped before the boy. "I haven't explained the rules to you yet, have I?"

Tsuna looked up, now a little confused. "Huh…?"

Hibari held up a hand, one finger extended as the others curled. "Number one; keep clean." He unfurled a second finger. "Number two; don't be noisy. And, finally, don't make a mess." His eyes narrowed. "In the event that the last of the three should happen, then you clean it up immediately. Or I'll bite you to death."

"Hii!" Tsuna immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.

Hibari's brow furrowed. He'd just said the rules, hadn't he? But he didn't say anything on it. "Idiot herbivore. Clean it up. I'm giving you five minutes."

"H-hai…"

He walked back to the exit. "After you're done, go have a bath and I'll make you something to eat."

"O-okay…"

After the herbivore had finished his task, he went for his bath and then ate breakfast. Hibari announced that they'd be going shopping for supplies. He passed a notebook and pen to the little boy. "Write down everything I say." he ordered. He went up to the fridge and checked the contents. He noted what they were low on and considered some things for the kid too and said them out loud so Tsuna could write them down.

The tour ended at the farthest cupboard. Hibari took the notebook from the tired Tsuna. He frowned down at it. "I can barely read this," he said disapprovingly as he looked down at the just-about-legible scramble.

"S-sorry," Tsuna mumbled.

Hibari sighed and ripped the page out and folded it. He handed it to the boy. "Hold onto it."

"Hai." Tsuna took the list and pocketed it.

They got on their jackets (or, in Tsuna's case, one of Hibari's old jackets) and shoes and headed out. Hibari explained how he did things a little. "Shopping gets done every Saturday, preferably before noon. All the things we'll need for the coming week will be bought now; there won't be any trips to the shopping district during school days."

"Hai."

Shopping was done mostly in silence. Hibari had Tsuna hand him the list of things they'd come for. It didn't take long, forty-five minutes tops. Hibari was half expecting the kid to ask for something but, although he looked around wistfully as they passed by a toy shop and then an ice cream vendor, he said nothing.

They were just about to leave the shopping district when they ran into some problems. "Ora, if it isn't Kyouya Hibari!"

"Hey, it really is!"

"Who's the runt, Hibari?"

Hibari stopped walking. Hadn't he dealt with some of these guys yesterday…? Although he didn't mind biting anyone to death, sometimes, it just wasn't very convenient when his prey showed up. He walked to the side of the pavement as Tsuna turned to look at the ones who'd spoken. Instantly, big brown eyes became afraid.

"Hey, are you ignoring us?" the voices behind him continued.

"Or are ya scared, Hibari?"

Hibari lowered his bulky bags to the floor and went back to the herbivore. He put a hand to Tsuna's head and shoved him in the direction he'd put the bags. "Stay out of the way." he said, almost in a whisper. "I'll bite these guys to death."

Tsuna blinked, the fear in his gaze momentarily vanishing. "Nii-chan…"

Hibari got out his tonfa and finally turned to the group of six high school boys in front of him. All except one wore black gakurans and had black hair styled into pompadours. "I'm in a bad mood." Hibari warned.

The leader of the thugs was a tall, six-foot-something boy with thickset shoulders and wild blond hair. He was dressed in casual clothes and had a baseball bat slung casually over one shoulder. "Really?" he smirked. "Then you should fight at full strength, right?"

Hibari charged. But before he could get to the main guy, the five underlings moved to stop him. They all looked tough. Hibari's calm expression didn't change though, as he kicked off from the ground, one tonfa held high.

They may all be bigger than him and stronger in terms of physical strength, but he was far beyond the level of ordinary guys like these. His weapons hit one of the boy's across the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Hibari used the opening to strike at another of the boys. It took two hits for that boy to go down, despite his best efforts at defending himself. Meanwhile the first boy had recovered and was bringing around a crowbar.

Hibari ducked under the swing, saved by his quick reflexes. While he ducked, his arm shot out and he punched the boy in the gut. His fist packed quite a punch. The older boy doubled over, the wind knocked out of him, and Hibari kneed him in the head. He fell.

Hibari didn't have time to catch his breath, however, as another two boys came at him simultaneously. He leapt out of the way of a punch aimed at his head and it swiped through empty air. He dashed forward, tonfa out and jumped up again to strike the older boy in the head. The prey fell.

He alighted upon the ground and, in the same movement, he turned as the second boy tried to kick him. But he evaded that too, and lashed out with a kick of his own. He was far more agile than these burly guys. He got the boy between the legs and smirked as his foe's features twisted in agony. After that, it was simply a matter of kicking the older boy out of the way.

Their leader whistled as he watched his minions go down, his face twisted in a wince as he watched the last one fall. Hibari stepped forward. "What do you want?"

The blond boy laughed. "You're asking that after you beat up my men? That's really impolite of you, Kyouya Hibari."

"You were the one looking for a fight, I believe."

"Ahaha, true, true. Well, you've proved it once again; you're quite talented, aren't you?" the older boy grinned. "So how about joining our gang?"

Hibari's eyes narrowed. "I don't serve under anyone."

The blond smacked a palm against his forehead. "Of course! How could I have forgotten?!" He laughed. "Then, what if we agree to share leadership with you?"

"I hate weak herbivores."

"Aah, sou desu ne…" the blond boy cupped his chin in his hand, looking thoughtful. He clicked his fingers and dropped the hand cupping his chin, a bright grin on his face. "Ah! Then, how about you join our gang…but you don't actively associate with the gang?"

Hibari frowned. "I'm not interested. If that's all, can I kill you?" He raised his tonfa.

"Ahaha, you're scary, man. Actually, I was hoping I wouldn't have to fight you, cuz, you know, I wanted you as a junior member and all but I guess…"

Hibari leapt, thoroughly annoyed now.

The grey eyes of the blond boy turned serious, "…it's unavoidable."

Tonfa clashed against baseball bat. But it was no ordinary baseball bat; it was made of metal. And it was handled like it was in the hands of a master swordsman; with expertness and precision, as was proved when the blond pushed off Hibari's tonfa and attacked him with a quick slash to the shoulder. Hibari barely managed to duck but he couldn't do anything as the bat's same motion turned to a sideward strike.

It hit hard. His side felt like it had been ripped open and something important had broken inside. He gasped and stepped back, left hand going to his right flank. It wasn't ripped, thankfully. But the area was going numb. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up straight.

The blond boy laughed, "I like that determination of yours, kid! That look in your eyes…it's brilliant!" His grin was feral.

Hibari raised both tonfa and charged again. As if a little bit of pain would be enough to stop him. "I'll bite you to death."

The older boy didn't move much. When Hibari was within range, he just flicked his bat up and caught Hibari in the head. Hibari staggered back a good while before his legs gave out and he fell to the ground, stunned. His tonfa fell out of his grasp. The inside of his head was ringing terribly and he gritted his teeth as he raised his hands and curled his fingers in his hair, willing the pain to stop.

"You're a little young to take me on, Kyouya Hibari." the blond boy said as he took slow deliberate steps towards Hibari. He grinned. "But, see, with the right training, you'll be something really special one day! But, you won't agree so I'm going to knock you out to bring you around, if that makes sense." He raised his bat and smacked it against the open palm of his free hand.

"STOP!"

Hibari was preoccupied with the pain in his head so he didn't see the little runt coming to stand in front of him, arms splayed out as if that would actually halt the attacker's advancement. Hibari looked up, mildly surprised to see Tsuna there. His legs were shaking…no, his whole frame was shaking but he stayed where he was.

"Don't hurt Nii-chan!" he said, glaring at the blond boy.

The blond boy raised an eyebrow. "Ora? What're this? You best get out of the way, kid, I don't like hurting young children but I have a job to do."

Tsuna shook his head, teeth gritted tightly. "I won't let you hurt Nii-chan!"

Hibari retrieved his weapons and forced himself to his feet, trying his best to ignore the pain in his head. "Herbivore…get out of the way…" he said as he shuffled forward.

"Nii-chan…" Tsuna looked over his shoulder.

"I said move." Hibari shoved him out of the way. With a pained cry, Tsuna landed on the ground. Hibari looked up at the blond boy. "I'm in a really bad mood." He raised his tonfa and sprung forward.

But the same thing happened. The blond boy raised one leg and kicked Hibari square in the abdomen, sending him flying backwards through the air. "As I said, you're too young to take me on right now, kid." the older boy said.

Hibari coughed up blood. The kick had been that hard. His vision kept shifting. He saw the blond boy coming closer again and gritted his teeth and tried to get to his feet. The blond boy ran and kicked him before he could move a muscle. He coughed up more blood.

"No!" Tsuna's voice yelled out from somewhere at the side. He raced forward as Hibari was flung through the air again and fell on his back, yet more blood spurting out of his mouth.

The small boy threw himself between the two older ones. He screwed his eyes shut tight. "Please…don't! Please don't hurt Nii-chan! I'll never forgive you if you do!"

Hibari sat up, wiping blood away from the corner of his lips. His vision was going really blurry now. He tried to shake his head to clear it but it hurt so much. So he rubbed at his eyes instead. "Her…" he tried to speak but his throat felt scratchy. The little boy was really going to die at this rate. Stupid herbivore, his death would come even quicker if he kept up that pathetic act. What was he doing?

The blond clicked his tongue. "Look, kid, I'd appreciate it if you didn't get in my way. If I have to hurt you to do my job, I will."

"No!" Tsuna yelled. "I won't let you hurt Nii-chan!"

The enemy heaved a deep sigh and started towards Tsuna. "Out of the way."

"I SAID _NO_!"

Hibari's half-lidded eyes opened a little wider at the pure rage in that childlike voice. He tried his best to blink the fuzziness out of his vision as he looked towards the herbivore. What looked like…wind of some sort was surrounding the child, though it was faint orange in colour. His eyes kept rolling up into his head, showing the whites, and his eyebrows were furrowed at a steep angle, making him look a little crazed.

Even the blond boy had stopped to watch with a frown. Tsuna yelled again, this time in a harsh battle cry. A flame flickered into existence on his forehead. There was a ripping sound and he was suddenly standing there in nothing but the colourful blue boxers with the sun motif he'd been wearing that first evening…that reminded Hibari, he really ought to buy the kid some more underwear, and clothes…but that wasn't important right now.

"RE…BOR…N!" Tsuna yelled as he charged towards the foe. "SAVE NII-CHAN WITH MY DYING WILL!" He kicked off from the ground and flipped around and around with ease. His speed and flexibility was incredible. Shooting through the air, he positioned himself so that both legs were straight out and he planted his feet in the face of the blond.

The blond boy was bewildered. Not only had the attack been completely unexpected, but it was also fast and strong, despite the kid's puny body. The older boy staggered as Tsuna landed on the ground. "NOT YET!" he yelled as he leapt forward once more. This time, he got the older boy in the gut, again with both feet. The blond fell and Tsuna sat on his stomach and followed his previous attack up with a number of punches to his opponent's head.

It went on for a few minutes. The blond boy was completely overwhelmed. But then the flame on Tsuna's head extinguished and he slumped forward and rolled off the other boy.

Hibari was, despite his indifferent expression, quite amazed. The herbivore had…no, no, what _had_ happened, exactly? He couldn't make sense of it. Was he seeing things? There was no way a weak little brat could just power up in an instant like that.

He got to his feet, teeth gritted in an effort to hold the pain at bay, and moved towards Tsuna. He nudged the boy with his foot but Tsuna didn't move. Out cold. Hibari sighed and looked around.

His weapons were some feet away. The shopping lay off to his other side. And they were all surrounded by a loose crowd of confused spectators. Hibari gazed at them coldly. "Anyone crowding around will be bitten to death." he said in a low voice, putting in a little bit of effort to keep the pain out of his voice.

It carried despite the quietness with which it was said. Most people knew Kyouya Hibari was not to be trifled with, even if he was just a kid. The crowd began to dissipate, with everyone looking back over their shoulders at the scene. Hibari went to pick up his tonfa. He'd have to train himself harder not to fall prey to this kind of thing again. He had to have endurance. If he couldn't endure, then he'd never survive another encounter like this. But it was quite amazing that there was so much difference in strength between the leader and his minions. The ones Hibari had defeated before and some from their gang yesterday had been easy to take care of.

Sheathing his weapons, he made his way back to the little boy and, bracing himself, he took one small arm above his shoulder, turned, and then grabbed the other and heaved the dead weight onto his back. He had to get the kid home.

He got to his feet and staggered a little. But he refused to be brought down by this simple task. He _would_ get home.

He waited for the wave of dizziness to pass before he went to get the shopping bags. He wasn't just going to leave them here for some herbivores to take, after all. Shopping was such a pain.

So, with one arm holding the herbivore steady and the other clutching all the (rather heavy) shopping bags, he left the shopping district, staggering the whole way home. It was nothing short of amazing that he made it the whole way there without falling or stopping to give his exhausted legs a rest.


	5. Niichan's Other Side

Tsuna came to. His body felt a bit sore. His muscles protested a little as he sat up. He was in Nii-chan's bedroom, on Nii-chan's bed. Outside the window, it was sunset. He frowned. What had happened?

Unable to lie still despite the pain he felt, he got out of bed. He was only dressed in his boxers so he went towards the door and pulled down his orange pyjamas that hung on the back. He pulled them on and left the room.

The hallway was dark. The kitchen was dark. The only light was coming from the living room. Nii-chan didn't like to leave the lights on if they weren't necessary. The little boy walked up to the doorway of the living room.

The TV was on. He saw a tuft of Nii-chan's black hair sticking out from the side of the couch and approached. Nii-chan was lying down, his hands folded behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. His gaze was turned towards the TV. There was a thick, closed book sitting on the table in front of him. He tilted his head back as Tsuna came to stand at the armrest he was resting on.

Tsuna smiled tentatively. He didn't remember much of what had happened, except he'd been feeling so angry that someone would want to hurt Nii-chan like that. He'd wanted to do something, to protect his benefactor.

And then…something had happened…but he only got a vague sense of what it was. He'd…done something. When he'd regained his senses, he'd been sitting on the knocked out boy. And then his body had started to ache and he hadn't been able to hold onto consciousness.

Hibari stared at him for a few seconds before he sat up. He budged up and patted the space beside him. Tsuna sat down as instructed. What would Nii-chan say? Had he brought Tsuna home, by himself, even though he'd been hurt himself?

He turned his head a little to the side and peeked up at Nii-chan for a second before looking down. "A-ano," he stammered, "i-is Nii-chan okay?"

He felt a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "Should you be worrying about others? Explain to me; what happened back there?"

Tsuna stared thoughtfully at the TV screen. "Um…I'm not sure. I-I don't…really know. I…I wanted to…help Nii-chan…" The hand in his hair stopped ruffling. He looked up.

Nii-chan's face, as usual, was blank. He had the bottom of his left foot resting at the edge of the table and he was leaning forward, elbow propped up on his raised knee and his chin cupped in his palm. His dull blue eyes were narrowed, staring hard at the TV screen but not taking in what was happening on it. He took his hand away from Tsuna's head. "Hn…"

Was he mad? There was a sort of angry vibe coming off of him. Tsuna frowned. "Is Nii-chan angry?"

Hibari's eyes slid away from the TV screen and fixed on Tsuna's brown orbs instead. "…No."

"Oh…" Tsuna breathed a minute sigh of relief.

They sat in silence awhile, until Hibari got up. "Do you want to eat? You missed lunch."

The little boy's stomach growled at the mention of food. He looked up, a small smile on his lips. "Hai!"

He followed Hibari to the kitchen.

"What do you want?"

Tsuna had seen Nii-chan get some instant ramen that morning, so he asked for some of that. Hibari put the kettle on. Tsuna went to the door at the back. He pressed his face against the panel of glass but it was distorted so he couldn't see much beyond it, except something white standing out from the dark background. Curious as to what that white thing was, he tried the handle. The door opened.

The white thing he'd seen was a small cat perched precariously on the black railing. It turned its head as he opened the door. He shivered, feeling cold, but he ignored it as he stared at the kitten, wide-eyed. That was dangerous! It would fall off from there!

"What'd you open…?"

But he ignored Nii-chan's voice as he rushed out towards the kitty, his hands held out. "C'mere, kitty!" he said. "You'll fall from there!"

The kitten meowed. Tsuna was too short to reach the top of the railing, where the cat was stood but he continued reaching his arms out. "Come down, kitty. Come on."

Suddenly, hands reached out above him and gathered up the little animal. He turned his head back to see Nii-chan standing behind him. The kitten mewled again, this time a little louder. It settled against Hibari's chest, burrowed its head against him. Tsuna blinked.

"Come inside." Hibari instructed as he turned and walked back through the door.

"H-hai…" Tsuna followed him in and waited as Hibari opened the door of the small storage closet on the right and disappeared inside it. Tsuna stared in after him, wondering what he was looking for; that was where cleaning supplies and other assorted household care items were kept.

The older boy emerged not too long after, the kitten still nesting in the crook of his arm. In his free hand, he held a blue water bowl. Tsuna frowned down at the object.

Hibari closed the door and took the bowl over to the fridge. He set it on the floor, along with the feline, and opened the door of the fridge. He took out a milk bottle and poured some of its contents in the bowl. The kitten started lapping up the white liquid as Hibari replaced the bottle.

Tsuna knelt beside the kitten and stroked its fur. He liked cats; unlike dogs, they were quiet and…not so scary. He looked up at Nii-chan. "Is this kitty Nii-chan's?"

Hibari left the two and went to resume making Tsuna's snack. "No."

Tsuna was about to say more but the kitten meowed. He turned back to it and smiled, scratching it gently behind the ears. After allowing itself to be petted awhile, it padded over to Hibari. It meowed. Hibari stopped pouring water into the ramen cups and turned his head to look down at it.

Tsuna watched on with a smile as the older boy bent down to pet it. The kitten, he would learn, dropped by from time to time, to provide Hibari with company. During those moments, he'd get a rare glance at the gentler side of Hibari. Animals, Tsuna would come to know, liked Hibari.

He saw the next instance of this the next day. Sunday brought with it proper sunshine for the first time in a week. The sky was a clear blue, with no heavy clouds in sight. Hibari was out on the staircase outside. The door in the kitchen was open. Tsuna peeked around the frame. The older boy was resting on the wall adjacent to the door, one leg stretched out and the other crossed over it, a book in his hands, but he wasn't looking at it.

He was looking up at a little white bird that had settled on the railing above him. He raised a hand up to it and it chirped before hopping down from the railing and onto his outstretched finger. He brought it closer and, putting his now closed book down, he lifted his other hand up to stroke its little head. It leaned into his touch.

Hibari turned his head and looked right at Tsuna. "What are you doing?"

Tsuna had gotten used to the sixth sense that Hibari seemed to possess so he'd already suspected that Nii-chan knew he'd been there. Despite Tsuna's best attempts at being silent, Hibari always found out. Even when Tsuna got up to go to the bathroom during the night, Hibari was aware of it the moment the kid got out of bed (that was quite a relief, actually, since Tsuna was afraid of going to the bathroom in the dark).

He stepped out onto the landing of the staircase. "N-nothing." He went to sit down at the opposite end of the little landing, opposite Nii-chan, and stared at the bird in wonder. "Does Nii-chan…like animals?" he mumbled.

Hibari didn't look at him. His half-lidded eyes were focused on the little creature resting on his hand. "They make better company than humans, in any case."

Tsuna was surprised he even got a response. These past few days, he'd started to catch on with the way Hibari did things and had incorporated appropriate behaviours; stay quiet, don't talk unless absolutely necessary, and don't expect a response. Much of the questions he asked, although he considered them necessary enough, never got a response. He was beginning to see that it had to _really_ be of the utmost importance, like maybe life-or-death kind of urgent, for Hibari to give a proper answer.

Sometimes, when he was in a good mood (and Tsuna, at this point, couldn't tell when he was in a good mood or a bad one, since his expression never changed), he lifted the rule a little and talked with the little boy a bit more. He must be in a good mood right now.

"Has Nii-chan ever had a pet?" Tsuna asked, still looking at the little bird and feeling awed at the way it brought out Nii-chan's gentleness.

Hibari didn't respond to the question. He set the bird on his shoulder and it chirped cheerily as it perched there. He opened his book again and started reading. Tsuna leaned back against the bars of the railing but found it too uncomfortable so he sat up.

What to do…? Usually, he read through Nii-chan's collection of shounen manga but Nii-chan had said that the comics weren't to leave the bedroom. Books were allowed out of the bedroom though, but none of them interested Tsuna; just looking at all the print made him feel tired. At home, he always used to play games with his mother and father. The three of them would sometimes play tag in the backyard…

"_Come on, Tsuna!" daddy encouraged as he ran in slow-motion, waiting for Tsuna's tiny legs to catch up. _

"_Speed up, Tsu-kun!" mommy called out with a bright smile, arms open as she walked backwards facing Tsuna. _

_Tsuna was already out of breath. He didn't like this game. And why did he have to catch them anyway? They should catch him! He stumbled along though, determined to get daddy and stop being such a loser. _

_But he couldn't catch up. So he gave up and started to bawl. "Tsu-kun," Nana sighed as she came over and knelt beside him. She pulled him into a hug. "Does Tsu-kun not like this game?" _

_He shook his head, still blubbering. _

_She let go of him and ruffled his hair. "Then, we'll play a different game, okay?" _

_Iemitsu came to join the two, grinning, "Tsuna's a loser!" _

"_I am not!" Tsuna snapped, cheeks flushed. His lower lip jutted out. _

_Iemitsu laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "I was joking; of course you're not a loser! You're my son, after all!" _

_Nana rolled her eyes and stood up. She took Tsuna's hand. "Then, shall we go to the park?" _

_Tsuna shook his head fervently. The park had a slide and swings. He didn't like going on them. "No park." _

_Iemitsu sighed, "Ok, then, how about we just go for a walk?" _

_Tsuna brightened. "I sit on daddy's shoulders?" _

_Iemitsu chuckled and lifted the boy up high. "Sure." He placed him on his shoulder. _

_Tsuna grinned as he looked down at his mother. "I'm taller than mommy now!" _

_Nana smiled. "So you are, Tsu-kun." _

_Iemitsu took her hand and the three of them set out for their "walk"…_

Tsuna found tears leaking down his cheeks. He reprimanded himself under his breath and hurriedly wiped them away. Only herbivores cried!

He looked up to see Nii-chan looking at him unblinkingly and quickly averted his gaze, feeling embarrassed. He'd said he wouldn't cry. He'd said he'd be stronger.

He sighed, gaze directed towards the mouth of the alley. That was when he saw someone coming. A familiar someone. He was pretty far away, walking up the pavement that would eventually lead him to the apartment building. Did he know Nii-chan lived here?

"Nii-chan?" Tsuna mumbled, still looking at the boy.

"What?" Hibari looked up. Tsuna pointed. Hibari frowned and looked. His frown tightened and he stood up, dropping his book. The bird on his shoulder, startled by the sudden movement, flew off.

The back alley would be visible from where their visitor was. The visitor happened to look up and saw Hibari standing on the stairs. He raised an arm up, hand held out in a wave. Hibari's features darkened and he turned and ran down the stairs. "Herbivore. Inside." he said in a tone just short of snappy.

This was the first time Tsuna had actually _seen_ Nii-chan properly angry. Usually, he controlled himself very well. Tsuna did as instructed, pausing to pick up the book Hibari had been reading.

He hesitated before going through the door as he saw that his feet were bare. What about Nii-chan? Was Nii-chan wearing shoes? He went over to the bars just as Hibari got to the ground and saw that he did indeed have some footwear on; the black slippers he usually kept for wearing outside when he went to throw out the trash.

That sorted, he was about to enter through the door but he cast one last look towards Nii-chan. Hibari had caught up to their visitor, his tonfa held out. Tsuna froze as the visitor pulled out a metal baseball bat and hit Hibari with it. It was the same boy from yesterday.

"NII-CHAN!" Tsuna cried out, dropping the book he held and rushing down the stairs. Panic burst inside his heart and he slipped in his hurry. He cried out as his ankle scraped against the edge of the metal stair and then he fell on his side and slid down.

Hot, salty tears ran down his cheeks as he lay on the landing between the ground and the second floors. His ankle had been hit hard enough to slice through the skin and the gash was leaking blood. Were these stairs or blades?! Various areas of his body were on fire because they'd been jabbed. Pained sobs broke past his lips as he began to bawl loudly, clutching at his ankle, the biggest source of his agony.

A minute or so passed. He was still bawling when a figure stepped before him. "Ossu, kiddo!"

He looked up. His sobs immediately died down as his watery eyes went wide. Fear suddenly entered his heart but before he could scramble backwards, he felt another, deeper emotion flooding him. "N-Nii-chan…what did you do…to Nii-chan?!" he demanded, hands clenched into fists as he got to his feet. Or tried to. His ankle hurt so he couldn't move.

The blond boy smiled. "I'm doing him a favour." Hibari was slung over his right shoulder, unconscious. Hibari's tonfa were trapped between the blond boy's left arm and side and his left hand held his baseball bat. "Anyway, care to lead the way up? I meant to have a word with you too."

Tsuna tried getting to his feet again, still indignant. The visitor sighed. "You know, I didn't really want to have to hit him but he's just so violent."

Tsuna's frame was shaking as he forced himself to his feet, trying his best to ignore the pain and clutched at the railing for support. He stood in front of the blond boy, barring his way. "You can't come in without Nii-chan's permission."

The blond boy laughed and raised a hand to ruffle Tsuna's hair but Tsuna swatted it away, wobbling dangerously as he did so. "C'mon, kid; just move out of the way."

"No! Let Nii-chan down!"

The blond boy looked down, his gaze serious. "Those are some good eyes you have there, kid; you wanna be stronger?"

The question threw Tsuna off for a few moments. He blinked. "H-huh…?" But his anger returned quickly. He couldn't let himself lose the anger! If he lost the anger, then he'd go back to being his wimpy self and his first thought would be to flee and save himself. He couldn't leave Nii-chan like this! He couldn't! Nii-chan had been nice to him!

Tsuna had been taught that you should be grateful to people who did kind things for you; running away when his benefactor was in trouble wasn't gratitude! That was cowardice! Only weak herbivores would do that!

"I mean I can help you get stronger." the blond boy said. "Here. I'll put Hibari down." He brought Hibari down and, gently, set him with his back against the railing.

Tsuna was a little taken aback at this. What was he supposed to do in this situation…? He felt so weak. If only whatever had happened yesterday would happen now too…

The blond boy turned back and stood on the top stair, leaning against the railing with one arm slung over the top and the hand of the other clutching his baseball bat. "Believe it or not, kid, I actually hope to be an instructor at a martial arts dojo one day. I've been learning to fight ever since I could walk."

Tsuna's frown only tightened. What was he supposed to do with information like that…?

The blond boy grinned, "My name's Kenichi Sato, by the way. Yoroshiku ne."

Tsuna blinked. The anger had gone. He was thoroughly confused now. "Um…Tsu-Tsuna. Tsunayoshi Sawada."

Kenichi sat down on the step, turning midway so he could look at Tsuna properly. He smiled. "You're probably wondering what I'm telling you all this for, right?"

Tsuna nodded mutely. His ankle was still aching so he sat down.

"Well, I'm already practicing being a master. I recruit students for my father's dojo and help train them. I'll admit, I give info on the very special ones to my good friend Tetsu, cuz he wants really strong people in his gang. He's a real cool guy, once you get to know him. Anyway, Tetsu's developed an interest in Kyouya Hibari for a few weeks now, after he found out that Hibari was going to enrol at Nami-chuu. I think, if Hibari got the right kind of training, he could be _really_ strong when he grows up." Kenichi's eyes narrowed in thought as he glanced at Tsuna. "You too."

"M-me…?" Tsuna stammered.

Kenichi nodded. "Yup. That little spat yesterday; you surprised me, kid!" He grinned and thumped Tsuna on the shoulder, making the child wince. "That was great!"

"E-eh?!" Tsuna stared at the man incredulously. Did sane people really get so happy about being beaten unconscious? This guy was weird.

Kenichi chuckled. "Yeah. That's why I wanted to talk with the two of you; I want to join my dad's dojo and then, maybe Tetsu's gang. If you don't wanna join the gang, take it up with Tetsu; I'm just playing messenger here. But at least consider joining the dojo, okay? It'd be a shame if you let your raw talent go to waste." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up flyer and handed it over.

Tsuna took it and looked down at what it said. At the top were the words "Sato Dojo". The background was black, with purple streaks. It had an address and a telephone number. Tsuna looked up at Kenichi again. "But…what do I do with it?"

Kenichi ruffled Tsuna's hair, "give it to Hibari…but, if he continues being obstinate about not joining, it doesn't mean he should stop you too. Give me a call sometime…or come to the dojo itself. That's all I wanted to say. Hibari took it the wrong way though," he chuckled. He was about to turn away and head down but he looked down at Tsuna's foot and then at Hibari. "You want me to help you get Hibari up?"

Tsuna looked at Nii-chan and then up the fourteen or so step that lay before him. There's no way he'd make that! And with his injured ankle, he'd have a hard time getting up himself. He looked back at Kenichi. "Y-yes please…"

"All right."

* * *

Tsuna watched in horror as Hibari tore up the Sato Dojo flyer and chucked it in the bin. "N-Nii-chan…?"

Hibari turned to face him, eyebrows together in a tight frown. "What?"

Tsuna daren't say anything on it. He shook his head. "N-nothing…" In truth, he'd wanted to ask if he could join the dojo. He really wanted to. At the moment, he saw it as his only way of getting stronger. He'd been quite excited at the prospect of learning martial arts. And if Nii-chan practiced with Kenichi too, then it'd be even cooler! Tsuna would get to hang out with Nii-chan a lot more. It looked like that would be impossible now.

Hibari hadn't been hurt too badly; Kenichi had kept the damage minimum, so he'd woken up after only a little while. He was so angry. After he'd woken, he'd gone straight to the front door. Tsuna had told him about what Kenichi had said as the older boy had reached for a jacket. He'd come back, taken the flyer, and disposed of it and was now on his way to the door again.

"N-Nii-chan…?" Tsuna stood behind the corner of the living room that jutted out, as he watched Nii-chan pull on his shoes.

Hibari didn't glance back. "I'm locking the door. There should be some food left over from last night; warm it up and eat it for dinner. Don't make a mess and be in bed by eight."

Tsuna winced as the door slammed shut. What was wrong with Nii-chan? He wouldn't go to find Kenichi to request another match, would he? It had already been proved that Kenichi was stronger! No, Nii-chan wasn't dumb.

Maybe he just didn't want to be around Tsuna because he was angry…daddy used to leave the house all the time when things at work had tried his patience and he hadn't wanted mommy and Tsuna to see him upset.

Tsuna sighed and went into the bedroom. What to do now? He went over to the bookshelf and sat down in front of it. He pulled out the manga he'd been reading earlier and continued where he'd left off.

At six thirty, he got hungry and went to get some food to eat. Thankfully, he didn't fall or anything. Over the past few days, his clumsiness had gone down a little. The better he learnt how things worked, the more adept he became at doing them. It was only natural, really.

Since Nii-chan refused to do absolutely everything for him, he had to learn for himself, which wasn't a chance he'd been given very much before; the moment people learnt that he was a klutz, they had him stay away from things he might break. But Hibari didn't need anyone depending on him like that so he refused to baby the little boy. It would, in the long run, be more beneficial for Tsuna.

He sat down to eat. After that, he went back to reading manga. After reading manga, he got out his copy of the picture book Sensei had given the class to read over the weekend but he got bored so he went back to the manga.

Time crawled by like a snail but, finally, it was eight 'o' clock and he decided to call it a night. After changing into his pyjamas, going to the bathroom, and brushing his teeth, he got out his futon and spread it out where he usually laid it. He went to switch off the light and then retracted his steps and slipped under the thick quilt of his bedding. It was only a matter of time before he drifted off.

But he woke sometime later, when he heard thumping. He'd gone to sleep facing Nii-chan's bed. The lamp on the desk was on, and Nii-chan had just dropped his tonfa onto the desk, where they'd landed with loud clanks.

Hibari then sat down heavily on his bed. He pulled his legs up onto the mattress and sat with his elbows on his knees, his head bowed. Tsuna blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Was it him, or were Nii-chan's shoulders shaking?

Hibari's hands tightened into fists and they started trembling too. Tsuna sat up. Hibari immediately stopped shaking and his head snapped up. His expression made Tsuna flinch. He looked _so_ angry. His eyebrows were pulled together as close as they could go, his eyes were narrowed, and his mouth was set in a tight scowl. He looked so fierce.

"N-Nii…chan…?" Tsuna mumbled. His heart was beating fast. It felt so…dangerous…being here right now.

Hibari took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he seemed more in control of his rage. "What? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Despite his wariness, Tsuna stood up and walked towards the bed. Hibari frowned as the boy approached. "What do you want?"

"C-can I…sit down?" Tsuna asked.

Hibari gazed at him evenly for a few seconds. Finally, with a sigh, he budged over. Tsuna took it as consent and clambered up. He didn't want Nii-chan to be angry because, deep down, he was really a good guy. The cloud-cover personality that he presented everyone cleared up occasionally to let the sunlight shine through, even if it was just a little and only for a while.

Tsuna looked up at Nii-chan and Nii-chan stared back. "What?"

The little boy shook his brown head and looked down. "Nothing…"

"You should go to sleep."

Tsuna nodded, but he didn't move. He wished there was some way he could make Nii-chan cheer up, so that he wouldn't be angry anymore. "N-Nii-chan…why is Nii-chan angry?"

"That's none of your business." The words were said in a low tone, with barely restrained rage.

Tsuna wondered why Nii-chan was even bothering to try to restrain his anger. Did he not want Tsuna to see? Sure, he always got irritated when Tsuna's clumsiness kicked in and the little boy did something stupid but he wasn't hit or shouted at because of it. He looked up at Nii-chan again. Hibari was looking the other way. What to do?

He suddenly felt a hand in his hair. He glanced up in surprise. When Nii-chan was in a good mood, he always ruffled Tsuna's hair. Only when he was in a good mood. Tsuna blinked.

"You don't need to worry," the older boy said, no hint of anger detectable in his voice now. "Whatever I feel or don't feel isn't a cause of concern for you. If I seem angry to you, you can rest assured that it isn't because of you." He ruffled the brown hair beneath his fingers again. "Now, go to sleep."

Tsuna felt a little gladdened. "Hai." He made to slide off the bed but the hand in his hair pressed down on his scalp. He looked up at Nii-chan. Hibari looked away, jaw locked tight. His hand loosened its hold, although he didn't take it back.

Tsuna's brows came together in an expression of puzzlement. With a mental shrug, he was about to slide off when, again, Hibari prevented him from doing so. "Nii-chan?"

"Sleep here." Hibari said, still looking away.

Tsuna's frown deepened. "H-huh?"

"I said sleep here." Hibari said, sounding irritated.

Tsuna shrugged. "Ok."

Hibari budged up a little further. Tsuna pulled the duvet up and climbed under it and laid his head down on the pillow. Hibari gazed down at him. Tsuna smiled. "Good night, Nii-chan."

"Aah…" Hibari mumbled in response. He put his hand to Tsuna's hair again and ruffled it. Tsuna closed his eyes as the movements became slower, smoother. The stroking lulled him to sleep…as he drifted off, he wondered if he should be insulted at being treated more like the cat and bird that Nii-chan had petted recently rather than a proper person.

But he decided he didn't care. It felt nice, and such gentle movements held no anger. _Nii-chan…_

* * *

Hibari took his hand back as the child fell asleep. When he'd heard Tsuna get up, the first thought which had crossed his mind had been that he'd made a mistake in coming back to the apartment; he didn't want to let his anger loose on the little herbivore. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't.

He'd gone out to vent his frustrations, in the school gymnasium. Twice he'd lost to that guy now! Twice! And then the guy had the nerve to come to his house and talk to the little herbivore about going to some dojo! He'd had half a mind to search for this "Sato-san" (as the herbivore had called him) and beat him senseless, but he was sensible enough to know that it would just end like it had ended before. All day his anger had been simmering and nothing would get rid of it, short of beating up that Kenichi Sato guy.

So he would get stronger, on his own. He would defeat that guy so that he'd never be able to use those legs of his to come to this place again.

Hibari sighed and looked down at the herbivore. A small smile tugged at the corner's of Tsuna's lips, as if he'd found a little happiness in some faraway dream. He was so innocent, so naïve, despite what had happened to him…unlike Hibari. This herbivore would never choose the path that Hibari had chosen, a path tainted by bloodshed, a path where childhood held no meaning…

But what had that…thing yesterday been? Tsuna had overwhelmed the other guy in that state, but then he'd gone back to normal. He didn't even remember it properly so Hibari hadn't pursued the subject. And he wasn't completely convinced that he'd not been seeing things; his sight had been really blurry then, after all.

There was a part of him which really wanted to believe that he'd imagined it; the herbivore had to remain an herbivore, after all. He was cuter that way. And, if he was less violent, there would be less of a chance that he'd become embroiled in the life that Hibari had made for himself…the ruthless lifestyle of meting his personal justice on criminals, for the sake of his own name.

He sighed. Perhaps there was a reason why he'd picked up this little boy. Perhaps he wanted something from the company of another human being. Perhaps he coveted a bond. Perhaps it was a way of holding onto the childhood he himself had lost.

"Pointless," he scoffed. He did not have such vulnerabilities.

The herbivore was taking up too much room. So Hibari got up and went to the futon instead. Why he'd asked the herbivore to sleep there was beyond him…perhaps, he'd wanted to keep his anger reined in. That innocent face, those trusting brown eyes, they soothed his anger, he'd found. Maybe he was becoming attached.

No, that was ridiculous. Well, in any case, it wasn't a weakness. He'd never tolerate weaknesses.

* * *

OOCness in epic levels XD anyway, I did try to delete that last scene but I wanted to keep Hibari's train of thought there and I didn't know how else to incorporate it so I left it.

* * *

**Omake** (i.e. the crack section that has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story):

Tsuna peered around the kitchen doorframe. Nii-chan was doing it again. He was cooking. But that wasn't the issue here; the fact was that, while he was cooking, he was singing. It was just a low hum and Tsuna could barely hear the words, but Hibari was singing nonetheless.

"...shiranai. Ai shikata wakaranai. Eien ni hitoribocchi no sadame..." stir, stir. "Wao! Egao mo namida mo yowamushi no shiwazadane. Arugamama no sugata de, nasugamama no...herbivore, what're you doing over there?"

Tsuna shuddered. "N-nothing, Nii-chan." Why was Nii-chan singing about not knowing how to love? And if smiles and tears were the actions of weaklings, why on earth was he singing about them?! This was creepy.


	6. Training Begins

Tsuna was anxious. All through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and even Thursday, he remained anxious and on-edge. Nii-chan hadn't gone to speak with Sato-san so Sato-san would surely come and seek them out and demand why they hadn't gotten in touch. And he'd be angry because he'd said they were to come to the dojo. He was stronger than Nii-chan; what if Nii-chan got hurt again?

But four days had gone by and Sato-san hadn't come. Perhaps he'd forgotten about them…? Tsuna didn't think that this was the case though, and he didn't want to let his guard down. Well, not that it would matter, since he wasn't strong enough to do anything even if they did come under attack.

He sighed. Hibari looked down at him. A plump little pigeon sat on his shoulder, pecking at his black hair. They were walking back home from school, taking their time. All this week, the weather had been quite nice. Tsuna wouldn't have minded being outside if it hadn't been for the worry in his heart. He couldn't quite concentrate on anything. In class, he'd been even more out of it than usual.

Hibari gazed down at him for a long while, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he got the bird down from his shoulder and petted it. It purred in contentment.

Later that day, Tsuna's fears were finally answered. He'd been in the bedroom, sprawled on the thick carpeted floor reading some manga, when there was a knock at the front door. His first feeling was curiosity, since no one had come here in the week and some that he'd been staying. But then his anxiety came flooding back. He rushed to the door, tripping up in the process and falling heavily to the floor, but he didn't suffer much damage so he got right back up and went to see.

By this time, voices could be heard. As Tsuna emerged out of the bedroom, he saw Hibari standing at the door, positioned in front of the opening in a clear indication that the visitors were not welcome.

"…don't be a stiff, Hibari-kun!" Sato-san's familiar voice said. "At least invite us in."

"You people should leave." Hibari said coldly.

"Nii-chan…?" Tsuna mumbled, walking up to the older boy. Hibari turned around, eyes icy. Tsuna stopped where he was, in the middle of the hall.

Hibari's gaze went blank. "Go back inside."

Peeking around him, Tsuna could just about make out Kenichi's wild blond hair. "But…"

"I said inside."

Tsuna gulped and bowed his head. "Hai." He turned and went back to the bedroom. But he kept watching from the doorway though.

"Hey, why're you keeping the kid away?" Kenichi asked. "We wanted to talk to him too."

"He has no business with you." Hibari responded coolly. "I suggest you leave."

"Or what? We just want to talk to you. Hey, Tetsu, say something."

A new voice, presumably that of "Tetsu", spoke up as instructed, "as I understand, Hibari, you're gonna start middle school this year, right?"

"What of it?" Hibari asked with indifference.

"Then, don't you think it'd be good if you're already affiliated with the strongest there?" "Tetsu" said.

"Hn…" Hibari sounded amused, "then when it's time, I'll take the title of strongest from you."

"Oh? You speak pretty tough for a little brat." "Tetsu" said with a laugh.

Kenichi chuckled too. "See, Tetsu, I told you this kid's awesome." But he turned serious soon enough. "But, you know, Tetsu's really strong. Probably as strong as me, ya know? If you can't defeat me, there's no way you'll be able to defeat him. You need to power up, kiddo. Join my dojo."

"Keep quiet." Hibari said, tone frosty once more. "If you're that concerned, I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" Kenichi said, "Do tell."

"Two weeks. Come back in two weeks. I will defeat you."

Tsuna was, so far, relieved that nothing violent had happened. But…two weeks…?

Kenichi and "Tetsu" laughed. "Two weeks, huh?" Kenichi asked, amused. "And what if you still can't defeat me?"

"That won't happen."

"Ahaha, pretty cocky, aren't you? If you lose, you join my dojo, all right?"

"Fine. Now will you leave?"

"Hold up. We wanna talk to the kid too. I'm sure you saw it the other day, right? The kid's got potential; if he's training properly, don't you think he'll _be_ something some day?"

"It doesn't matter. Leave the herbivore out of this."

"No way! There's some talent there! Aren't you interested in seeing how that kid will turn out? At the moment, whatever the hell that was the other day is something that happens under the most extreme circumstances, I think. Doesn't it intrigue you, the idea that he might be really strong?"

Hibari was silent a long while. Kenichi and his friend said nothing either. Tsuna frowned. What was Nii-chan thinking so hard about? Why didn't he say no like Tsuna had expected him to?

"Herbivore."

Tsuna jumped. "H-hai?"

"Come over here." Hibari ordered.

The little boy abandoned his post behind the doorframe and walked down the hall towards the front door. "Hai, Nii-chan?"

Hibari turned to look back at him. "Do you want to go train?"

Kenichi peered through the minute gap that Hibari had just made by turning back. He put a hand up, a jovial grin on his face, "yo, kid!"

Tsuna blinked up at Nii-chan. Did he want to…? Yes! Yes, he did! He'd been fantasising about how cool it would be if he could learn how to fight! He didn't care what type of fighting, just as long as he got to learn! He wanted to be stronger! "Hai!"

Hibari lifted a hand and motioned for Tsuna to come closer. Tsuna hopped down the step, mindful of the shoes lined up and stood beside Nii-chan. Hibari gestured down at Tsuna's school shoes – his only pair at this point. "Get them on."

"H-hai…" Tsuna said as he went to sit on the step and pulled his shoes towards him. He pulled out the socks he'd shoved in there after coming back from school and slipped them on before pulling his shoes on top. He got to his feet and Hibari pressed a recently acquired black jacket into his little hands. Tsuna frowned and shrugged it on. Why the sudden preparations? Were they going to go somewhere?

Hibari then put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and steered him out of the door. "I don't care what you do with him." he said as he turned back to the duo already outside, his tone black, "just as long as he's able to move around and take care of himself by the end of these two weeks." And then the door was slammed shut in Tsuna's face.

Silence befell the trio standing in the corridor. Tsuna's lower lip started to tremble as he stared at the wood just in front of his nose. He'd been kicked out…right? Why? What had he done?

The silence was broken by Kenichi's loud laugh. "That guy is so cruel!"

Tsuna felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. For the first time, he saw "Tetsu". "Tetsu" had black hair arranged in a pompadour. He was quite tall and his features were rather…scary (to Tsuna, in any case). He smiled down at the little boy, "You're Tsunayoshi Sawada, right? I'm Tetsuya Kusakabe."

Out of fear, Tsuna bowed. "N-nice to meet you!"

Kenichi laughed and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "He's scared of you, Tetsu!"

Kusakabe scoffed. "He should be. Can't have kids thinkin I'm too friendly, ya know?"

Tsuna gulped. Kenichi just grinned. "Anyway, looks like you're stuck with me for two weeks, Sawada! Your bro's a big meanie!"

Tsuna gazed back at the door. Was this what Nii-chan really wanted? Would this really okay? He swallowed his apprehension and looked up at Kenichi. "P-please take care of me."

* * *

Kenichi let Tsuna have that first evening off. During that time, Tsuna was introduced to the parents, the younger sister, and the dojo that was connected to their house.

Tsuna liked the family; they were open and friendly, aside from Kimiko-san, the younger sister who was a bit of a recluse. They didn't seem to mind in the least that they'd have a guest staying with them for two weeks on such short notice.

"Oh, Ken-chan," Keiko-san, the mother with short greying brown-hair, said as they all sat down to eat dinner, "Kotoko-chan called earlier. She told me to tell you that she'll be going away for the week tomorrow evening and to get in touch with her before then."

Kenichi flushed and paused in pouring himself some curry. "Wh-why'd she tell _you_, mom?!"

Tsuna gazed around in confusion at the four other people sitting at the table. Why was Ken-san (it had changed to Ken-san because every time he said "Sato-san", at least three people turned around) so red?

Kenji-san, the father, a tall man sporting a short beard that was grey in places, noted the look and snickered. He leaned towards Tsuna and said, with one hand shielding his lips from the view of the other family members, "Kotoko-chan's his girlfriend. They've already done this, that, and the other thing, I tell you. Kids today!" He ducked as a plate of rice and curry flew past his head, laughing as he did so. "Some people are so touchy."

"THAT'S CUZ "SOME PEOPLE" DON'T LIKE THEIR PARENTS MAKING UP LIES ABOUT THEIR LOVE LIVES, HENTAI OYAJI!" Kenichi roared, ready to lob another bowl at his father. "AND WHAT THE HELL IS "THE OTHER THING", HUH?!"

Tsuna was confused. This, that, and the other thing? What was that? And why was Ken-san so worked up? He looked quite scary like that.

"Ah, Ken-chan! Please put that down!" Keiko-san cried as she reached for the bowl in her son's hands. "The food has to last until tomorrow! And you might hit the child, please be careful!"

Kenichi calmed down and grinned apologetically at Tsuna. "Sorry, Sawada." His gaze turned sore as he shot a glare at his father, "the hentai over there should watch his mouth."

Kenji-san merely laughed, "is that a challenge, son? I'll take you on anytime!"

"Ha! Your expiry date's impending, ya ole creep! You don't have time to prepare for fights; you should focus on getting ready to hit the grave!" Kenichi snorted.

"Ken-chan!" Keiko-san admonished. "That's not something you should say to your father!"

Tsuna gazed around the table, a soft smile on his lips. This felt so…normal. The times when he ate at home with Nii-chan were always quiet. If he said anything unnecessary, he'd be admonished and told to finish eating quickly. Back when his parents were still alive and he had a proper home, boisterous evenings like this, when his father used be home, were common.

He bit his lower lip as it started to tremble. He willed the flood of memories to abate. He couldn't cry here, so shamelessly while these people fed him!

"Ara, Sawada-kun, is something wrong?" Keiko-sa asked.

He looked up and smiled shakily. "N-nothing…the food is delicious!"

She smiled. Her short hair…her brown eyes…for a moment, he saw the face of his own mother and the tears threatened to come back. Her smile slipped. "Sawada-kun? Are you sure you're all right?"

He sniffled. "I-I'm fine. Sorry." He wiped his sleeve across his eyes.

Keiko-san looked at Kenichi with a frown. He sighed. "I heard Sawada's family home burnt down a while back. His parents…" He didn't say it but it was clearly understood. Even Kimiko-san, the ever-silent and disinterested sister, gazed at the brown-haired child with undisguised pity.

Tsuna looked down and got on with his food, willing himself with all his might not to give in to the desire to cry. He couldn't cry, not in front of all these people! Not when they were feeding him and letting his stay here!

"Sawada!"

His head jerked up at the loud voice and nearly choked on mouthful he'd just swallowed. "H-hai?"

"Finish eating quickly and get to sleep; training begins early tomorrow." Kenichi grinned and held out a fist, his thump up.

Tsuna nodded. "Hai." He did as instructed, now looking forward to what this "training" would be like. His tears were long forgotten.

* * *

Tsuna was woken at half five the next morning. He forced open his eyes, wanting nothing more than to close them again. He expected to see his Nii-chan kneeling beside him, telling him to come and eat breakfast.

But, instead, he saw Kenichi. "Ossu, Sawada! Time to begin training!" He grinned.

Tsuna rubbed at his eyes and yawned as he sat up. He'd been sleeping in a futon on the floor of Kenichi's room.

Kenichi's room was very different to Nii-chan's; it had a general blue theme and there were many posters of music bands, movies, anime, actors, and various sports personalities. It was cluttered. The desk was a perfect example of just how cluttered; it was buried beneath piles of homework, books, manga, clothing items, and other magazines. It was amazing he'd even found room to set up a futon here.

"C'mon, kid! Time to jog!" Kenichi threw something pink at Tsuna. "Sorry about the colour; they used to be Kimi's, from when she was a little brat."

Tsuna gazed down at the jogging suit, now wide-awake. He was actually supposed to _wear_ this?! It-it had pink hearts on it! He looked up at Kenichi (who was wearing a navy and white track suit) with wide, disbelieving eyes. "B-but…this is for girls!"

Kenichi chuckled apologetically, "I'm sorry. But nothing of mine would fit you and I don't have any of my old stuff."

An awkward minute passed in silence as Tsuna stared at the clothes in mute horror. And then he sighed. "Wh-where are we going?" he mumbled, comical streams of tears running down his cheeks. For the sake of becoming stronger, he had to give up his pride as a man? How depressing.

"You'll find out. Hurry it up, okay? Training begins now." Kenichi left the room. "I'll be downstairs."

With a sigh, Tsuna put the clothes on. They actually fit really well. He still felt embarrassed though, so after he'd washed his face and hands and made his way downstairs, he was wary of family members who might be up at this time.

As it was, the only one who was up was Kenji-san. Both father and son were in the kitchen so Tsuna made his way over. Kenji-san looked up from his breakfast. He snickered, "Who's the girl, son?"

Tsuna went bright red. Kenichi passed behind his father's chair and bonked him on the head, "leave him alone, oyaji. Let's go, Sawada." He stopped at the backdoor and threw it open. He held a bottle of water in one hand and there was a towel slung around his shoulders. He pointed at the table, where there was another similar bottle. A smaller towel was hung on the back of an empty chair. "They're for you."

"Hai." Tsuna was feeling a little apprehensive, since he wasn't good at physical activity. But if he wanted to get stronger, physical activity was necessary. He picked up the towel and slung it around his shoulders like Kenichi had and picked up the bottle and went to the door. He glanced back as he left and Kenji put up a hand to wave. The boy waved back, smiling.

"All right, I'm guessing you've never been on a serious jog before, right?" Kenichi asked as he started to slowly jog.

Tsuna nodded.

"Then, we'll take this at your pace but don't be too slow, okay? Try to keep jogging…and don't down the water in one go," Kenichi warned as Tsuna flipped open the top of the bottle and took a huge swig from it. He immediately stopped though. Kenichi grinned, "the jog's gonna last an hour; you'll need that water later."

"Hai."

Kenichi sped up a bit. Tsuna sped up too. They were barely two houses down from Kenichi's and he was already tired. He wasn't made for this! But Kenichi didn't stop so he didn't either, quite wary of the consequences if he did. By the time they reached the end of the block, he was sweating like a pig.

"No rush, kid." Kenichi said. "Remember; don't push yourself."

They didn't really jog the whole hour; they just walked. But Tsuna was still tired by the end of it. When they got back to the Sato residence, he was ready to flop back into bed. But Kenichi told him to go and take a bath and then come down for breakfast.

"But I don't have any clothes." Tsuna said, lying on Kenichi's bed. He could barely move.

Kenichi tossed a bag at him and it hit him in the abdomen. All the air rushed out of him.

"Your Nii-chan left this last night, after you went to sleep." Kenichi said.

Fatigue momentarily forgotten, Tsuna sat up and took the bag. "Nii-chan did?" His uniform, washed and ironed, was in there, along with a fresh pair of socks, his pyjamas, some casual wear, a few pairs of boxers, and his toothbrush. He smiled. Nii-chan hadn't just forgotten about him then. It was a relief.

"Yeah. Hey, listen up," Kenichi said as the little boy pulled out his clothes, "because we've only got two weeks, I want you to spend only half a day at school. That okay?"

Tsuna looked up. He shrugged. "If Nii-chan's okay with it."

"Well, he did say we could do whatever we wanted with you." Kenichi grinned. "Anyway, run along. After breakfast, I'll drop you off at your school and then at lunch, you can come back and we'll start practice properly, okay?"

"Hai."

* * *

The Sato Dojo taught karate, which was, among other arts, Kenichi's specialty. They had students as young as five coming in so the white uniform Tsuna was given fit perfectly.

As Tsuna entered the practice area, he was more than a little alarmed at the bunch of older boys in there already. All four of them were crowding around Kenichi, talking and laughing. Kenichi noticed Tsuna coming in and stopped leaning against the back wall. "All right, everybody get ready!"

The boys sorted themselves out on along the wall. Tsuna went up to his "instructor", looking around at the boys warily. They all had black hair arranged in pompadours like Kusakabe, and they wore the same black gakuran. They turned their gazes on him so he quickly looked down, thoroughly afraid. What if he got attacked?! They all looked so dangerous!

"Aw, you look so cute, kid!" Kenichi chuckled as he ruffled the little boy's hair. "Anyway, these guys are from Tetsu's gang; they're all gonna help me train you." He walked past Tsuna and went to the centre of the large, empty chamber.

"Ya see, Sawada, I've seen something like what I saw the other day, when you attacked me." He ignored the sudden surprised murmurs that broke out among the group. "That fighting spirit that you showed me is something that comes out when you have the desire to _really_ protect something. I've seen it before, when someone gets beaten and their closest people rush to their side to help them." He looked back at Tsuna and smiled. "What's your definition of honour, kid?"

Tsuna tried to ignore the tough-looking boys around him. He was very afraid. But surely they wouldn't do anything? Not unless Kenichi said to. "Um…honour is…" he trailed off. What was honour anyway? "Is it…something to do with mayonnaise?"

Kenichi blinked. "H-huh…?" Behind Tsuna, Kusakabe's men started to snicker. Kenichi laughed haltingly as he came to stand before Tsuna. "Um…no, it's not anything to do with mayonnaise. Honour is…pride…something you'd want to avoid getting hurt no matter what. Does that make sense?"

Tsuna thought on it, a frown on his face. "I guess…so…"

Kenichi smiled. "It's a little difficult to explain it. It's not something you can touch so I can't show it to you either. Let's say you have two good guys who're friends. They're fighting against a bad guy. The bad guy is about to kill off one of the good guys but the good guy's friend helps him out. That's honour, I suppose; helping the people important to you. It's not always about friendship though; we fight for honour, to protect our name, to protect our pride, to get revenge when someone insults us…it's always to protect. You following me so far?"

Tsuna nodded slowly, trying to digest the words. To fight to protect? Like…that time when he'd wanted to help Nii-chan because Nii-chan had come to mean everything to him? Because it would have been thankless on his part to just watch on as his benefactor had gotten beaten. "I-I think so…" he mumbled, looking up at Kenichi.

Kenichi grinned and ruffled his hair. "That's great, kid. Now, I want you to think about it, about what you'd want to protect, and I want you to learn with that knowledge in mind. All right?"

Tsuna nodded. Kenichi looked to the men behind Tsuna. "Time to get to work." He backed up as the four guys surrounded Tsuna.  
"H-huh?" the little boy looked up, now afraid. "Wh-what? Ken-san…?"

"Fight, Sawada!" Kenichi called out from behind the throng.

"B-but…" Tsuna tried to back away but he only bumped into one of the delinquents. He looked up and nearly cried out when he saw the boy's sneering face.

"This might hurt a little, kid." the older boy said, cracking his knuckles. The four converged even tighter.

"No! Please let me through!" Tsuna cried, panic creeping up his heart. How was he supposed to learn like this?!

A fist struck his cheek and he cried out in pain as he fell. It hurt! Tears found their way to his eyes and rolled down his cheeks in thick drops. He tried to get up but was kicked in the stomach. He yelled out as pain flared through his being.

"Come on, Sawada! Fight! Bring out that power!" Kenichi shouted. "Show me what you got!"

The four boys around Tsuna snickered. "Ya know, Ken-san, you shouldn't have needed four of us for this; just one should have been enough!" A kick was aimed at Tsuna's abdomen again. Despite having had his arms wrapped protectively around his stomach, he cried out.

Weren't there laws against beating kids up like this…? The beating went on until Tsuna lost consciousness, feeling like he was on the verge of death.

* * *

Kenichi was disappointed, Tsuna knew. Lying on his futon, in the dark, the little boy could practically feel the heavy gaze from the bed some ways away, as if it was penetrating the gloom.

He'd been trying to go to sleep for at least fifteen minutes now, without much luck…though, admittedly, for much of the afternoon, he'd been unconscious, so maybe his fatigue with the morning jog had worn off. Today had been a long day.

The main reason he couldn't fall asleep was because it hurt no matter which way he moved. That had been one hell of a beating he'd received. And to think that tomorrow would bring much of the same…how dreadful. But the other reason he couldn't sleep was because his thoughts were restless.

"A-ano," he stammered finally, "A-about earlier…"

"Don't think about it now, kid." Kenichi sighed. "We've got time before the training ends. I just want you to discover how to control that power, yeah? Don't worry about it. Just relax and get some rest; you're going to be up early in the morning."

"Hai." Tsuna pulled the quilt over his head and shut his eyes.

He wondered how Nii-chan was doing, back at home. He'd been thinking about Nii-chan a lot. He'd not seen him at school, which was usual. He missed him.

After a while, he did manage to drift off, and the next thing he knew, it was morning.

The pain had subsided just a little so he wasn't spared from the jog. But they still had to stop every few minutes so he could nurse his aching wounds. After the jog, he was given a brief break. He didn't have to worry about school since it was Saturday. But that only brought the training session earlier and he got the beating before he'd even gotten some breakfast down him.

"Fight! Come on!" Kenichi yelled as the boys surrounded Tsuna again. "Think about it, Sawada! What do you want to protect?! Think of that and fight for it!"

But Tsuna didn't get to think about it until much, much later. He'd fallen unconscious during the beating and he woke up at night. The beating this time had hurt even more, because he'd already been suffering. Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes and he stayed up well into the night, trying to stem the waterworks, without much success. It was so unfair.

The third, fourth, and fifth days went by in much the same fashion. The only thing that happened was that his legs started to become accustomed to the hour-long jog (walk). He didn't go to school on Monday and Tuesday, and Kenichi said that there was no point, since they needed all the time they could get.

On the sixth day, things were done a little differently. Kenichi didn't get him to jog. They just walked, at a more leisurely pace. "Sawada," Kenichi said as they left the house, "I want to talk to you."

"About what?" Tsuna looked up.

"You're not thinking about this enough, which is why you're not getting anywhere." the blond boy said with a sigh.

In Tsuna's defence, he'd not really had time to think about it, since all his hours were taken up with sleeping, going through training, and enduring the mass amounts of pain which were thrust upon him every day. "B-but…I can't do it!" he said, tears threatening to spill. It was all so unjust! He really wanted to be stronger but he couldn't be! He was so weak! Why did Ken-san and everyone have to be so mean?!

"That's loser talk, Sawada! I know you can do it! You've shown that power to me once before!" Kenichi disagreed. "Just think about it; what's the most important thing to you right now? That other day, why did you attack me? Come on, just think about it a little, kid! The answer's right there!"  
If the answer was right there, then why couldn't Ken-san just tell Tsuna?! Tsuna looked down at the floor, trying not to feel aggravated. Nevertheless, he did as asked and recalled his feelings during the fight that time. "I-I wanted to…to help Nii-chan…"  
"And _why_ did you want to help Nii-chan?" Kenichi encouraged.

"Because…I didn't want Nii-chan to be hurt…?"

"And why don't you want your Nii-chan to be hurt?"

"B-because Nii-chan is…" Tsuna hesitated. What was Nii-chan to him? A benefactor, sure, but he didn't do much more than providing Tsuna with food and shelter. But even that was enough. And just being around him made Tsuna feel safe and secure. Where Nii-chan was, that was where…home was.

Certainly, he'd only known Nii-chan for a little while but he'd always been trusting. And he didn't really have that deep an understanding of the human nature so the trust built up easily. Tsuna felt that Nii-chan was one of the nicest people he'd ever met. And because of that niceness, he had Tsuna's undivided loyalty.

If he could protect something…he'd want to protect that existence. He looked up, eyes determined. "Because Nii-chan is everything."

Kenichi clearly saw some resolve in the kid's brown eyes. He grinned and put a hand to Tsuna's head and tousled his hair. "Looks like you're _finally_ figured something out, kid. Wasn't too hard, right?"

Tsuna frowned. "But…Nii-chan isn't someone who needs to be protected. He's strong."

Kenichi stopped walking and Tsuna stopped too. The older boy bent down to Tsuna's eye level. He smiled. "Then you should get even stronger than him and protect him should the situation ever call for it. Let that be your drive."

Tsuna's eyes widened. But that wasn't possible! Nii-chan was so strong! He could easily defeat enemies. Tsuna was weak.

But…Ken-san really believed Tsuna had the potential to be strong. So he would give it his all and discover how to get a handle on that power. He would grow stronger for the sake of protecting Nii-chan. Even if it would be a failed reason, as long as he had this resolve, he'd try his best.

He nodded. "Hai!"

After they got home, Tsuna (faring a little better today since the exercise hadn't been too strenuous) got changed into a karate uniform. He wasn't sure if he was actually supposed to be learning karate or whatever but it still looked neat.

The four boys were there again. They grinned as Tsuna came in. "Yo, brat, ready to go down again?"

Kenichi sighed. "Don't taunt him, guys. I have a feeling we might see something…a little different today." He grinned. "All right, Sawada, this time, I want you to show me your resolve!"

Tsuna braced himself as the boys approached. He could already feel the punches and kicks that had yet to land. The first of them came. Tsuna had built a bit of endurance these past few days so he didn't fall right away as he used to five days ago. He still cried out though.

"Haha, nothing's different, Sato-san!" one of the seemingly identical boys with pompadours said as he aimed a downward punch on Tsuna's head and forced the kid to bend down, causing him to lose his footing at the sudden collision and topple to the ground.

"Sawada! Remember our earlier discussion!" Kenichi yelled. "What would you fight for, huh?!"

Tsuna tried to stand, but he only received a kick to the gut and fell again. _I-I can't…Ken-san…_he thought, holding back cries of pain.

"Oi, come on, you brat!" Kenichi shouted. "You want me to drag your Nii-chan here?! You wanna watch as I beat him down, huh?! Is that gonna motivate you to fight?! I'll do it! I'll beat the snot out of him and I'll make you watch from start to finish! You want that?!"

Tsuna stopped struggling, eyes wide. Bring…Nii-chan here? To beat him up? No! He wouldn't allow it! He didn't doubt that Ken-san would do it, if it would further his goals.

"O-oi, what's happening…?" one of the boys with the pompadours said, slightly taken aback as wind start to swirl around the little boy. The other three delinquents backed up, surprised.

A flame flickered inconsistently at Tsuna's forehead. He sat up. The flame steadied and burned fiercely. There was the sound of tearing cloth and the boy jumped to his feet, now only dressed in a pair of red boxers with a light yellow star motif. The irises of his eyes were thin, barely visible and his eyebrows furrowed at a steep angle. He looked wild. "REBORN!" he yelled, hands curled into fists. "PREVENT KEN-SAN FROM GOING TO NII-CHAN AS IF I WERE TO DIE!"

The delinquents, although confused at this drastic change, stepped in to bar him from getting to Kenichi. Tsuna mowed down the first one and grabbed the second on by the protruding part of his pompadour and flung him out of the way. The third delinquent had a foot lodged in his gut and was bowled over. The last one was kicked between the legs and then had his legs knocked out from under him.

Tsuna sped towards Kenichi. Kenichi stopped pushed off from the wall and took up a stance. There was a feral grin on his face. "I knew you could do it, Sawada!"

The real training started there.

* * *

Kenichi's going to disappear after next chapter. I don't like OCs much, for fear I'd either make em (for female) too Mary-Sue-ish and (for males)...whatever the male equivalent of a Mary-Sue is :\

But Kenichi was sorta like a mix between a few KHR characters XD there's Yamamoto (the bat :D) Dino (urm...the hair?), Ryohei (ethusiasm?)...kinda.

Just out of interest, are there any guys reading this fic? That would be so cool. I just have this fixed notion that the only people who write and read fics for KHR are female (and it's obvious why, right? -_-')

* * *

**Omake** (i.e. crack section that has absolutely nothing to do with the story):

Hibari didn't have any money on him. And he really wanted to buy this pack of colourful boxers he'd seen. The herbivore liked his colourful boxers, after all.

"I'm getting this." he said to the man behind the till.

"That'll be…"

"I'm not paying for them."

"H-hai, Hibari-san! Th-thank you for shopping with us!" the man bowed.

Hibari smirked and picked up his bagged "purchase" and strode away.

* * *

Made of fail much? Anyway, I'd gladly take suggestions for the little omake sections. They don't have to adhere to this story's setting.

Thank you for the reviews and for favouriting and for...all the other good stuff!


	7. The Rematch

Hibari stood as soon as there was a knock at the door. This was it, the moment he'd trained so hard for this past fortnight. He went to answer it.

He'd barely had time to register the three visitors before a little something with big brown hair barrelled into him. "Nii-chan!" Little arms wrapped around Hibari's waist as Tsuna buried his face in the older boy's abdomen.

Hibari's back went rigid. He was taken aback a little. He'd not experienced this sort of thing for years…not since…He brushed the thought off. "What are you doing, herbivore?"

"He missed you is all. Let up a little," Kenichi said with a grin. The guy with the pompadour was here too, Kusakabe or whatever his name was.

Hibari ignored them and looked down at Tsuna, his hands hovering in the air above the little boy's head, undecided as to whether to ruffle his hair or not. "How long do you plan to hold on?" he asked, hands going to rest on Tsuna's shoulders so he could pry the little kid off.

Tsuna immediately pulled back, grinning apologetically and scratching the back of his head as he looked down. "S-sorry, Nii-chan."

Hibari looked towards his opponent. "I believe we have…an appointment."

Kenichi grinned and lifted his bat up and slung it over his shoulder. "Yup!"

"This should be interesting." Kusakabe commented.

"For sure! So, where's this happening?"

Hibari looked down at Tsuna. "You stay inside."

"B-but, Nii-chan…!" Tsuna protested.

Kenichi interrupted before the youngest child could say more, "you ought to let him watch; it might be a good experience for him to see more battles."

Hibari gazed down at the herbivore. Tsuna had two huge plasters on both his cheeks and the left sleeve of his black jacket had been pushed back from his wrist just a little to expose a plaster there too. In his hands, he held a plastic bag containing all his things. Hibari reached down to take it from the boy. Tsuna frowned. Hibari tossed the bag into the hallway and pushed the herbivore away from the door. He slipped into his own shoes and stepped out. "Let's go then."

"Ahaha, what's this? Don't we get invited in for tea?" Kenichi joked.

"It's fine; we're not here for pleasantries," Kusakabe said.

Hibari gazed up at him. Kusakabe exuded a more serious air than Kenichi. He didn't smile as much. Hibari narrowed his gaze. This man would be his opponent when he went to Namimori Junior High in just a couple of months.

He was looking forward to it. Hardly anything happened in Nami Elementary and, after being there for seven years, he'd gotten thoroughly sick of the crowding little herbivores. Most of those little herbivores didn't understand that he'd bite them to death if they didn't listen to him. It always tried his patience when he had to deal with their silly tantrums and sobbing fits. And when he made them cry, the teachers – regardless of how much he made them cower in awe of his power – wouldn't let him alone about being a bully. So far, he'd done a pretty good job of restraining himself from hitting the female teachers. The males hadn't been so lucky.

Middle school students should be easier to control…or maybe not. Actually, he hoped they'd rebel even more. And then he could slowly inspire terror in their hearts and take over the whole school. The more the students rebelled, the more he'd have to bite them to death. It suited him just fine.

As the four of them headed down the stairs, Tsuna kept looking at Hibari. Hibari gazed down at the little runt. "What're you staring at?"

Tsuna looked worried. "Did Nii-chan get stronger?"

Hibari was in a good mood. There was a positively battle-thirsty air surrounding him. "Yes. Yes I did."

"This should be interesting, then." Kusakabe said, looking amused.

"Nii-chan…is Nii-chan going to…win?"

Hibari looked down at the herbivore's worried face again. "Stop being a pest. You'll find out." Of course he'd win. He hadn't trained two weeks for nothing. He'd never gone through such intensive training without getting the best results.

As they approached the front door, Kusakabe asked, "So, where's this battle taking place?"

"Around the side." Hibari replied.

The alley besides the building was spacious enough for them to have a proper fight. Kusakabe and Tsuna took their places at the opening of the alley, the former standing up straight with his legs apart and arms folded while the latter leaned against the wall.

Kenichi went over to Tsuna. "Listen, kid, don't interfere, all right? No matter what happens. It defeats the whole purpose of a fight." He looked down meaningfully at the little boy.

Tsuna gazed up, his worried expression still unchanged in the last few minutes. He sighed. "Hai…"

Kenichi smiled and ruffled his hair. "That's a good lad." He then strode over to where Hibari was waiting. He grinned, "So, ready to join my dojo?"

Hibari raised his tonfa. "Not if I can help it. I'll bite you to death."

Kenichi raised his bat. "Bring it, kid."

Hibari's brows dipped. "Are you trying to piss me off?"

The blond boy grinned. "Would it make you stronger?"

With a scoff, Hibari took off, tonfa raised. As he approached Kenichi, he leapt off the ground and, quick as a flash, he raised his left hand and made to strike Kenichi in the gut. But Kenichi's bat blocked the way.

"Not bad, kid!" the blond exclaimed, jumping back as Hibari continued his onslaught. "Your form's improved!"

Hibari didn't bother to comment. The battlefield was for battle only. He sidestepped as Kenichi's bat tried to hit him on the side of the head. He pivoted on one foot and lashed out. His speed and strength had increased dramatically these past two weeks. A training programme he'd designed a long time ago had come in handy once again.

Because of his enhanced speed, he was able to land a hit. His tonfa struck Kenichi in the right arm, and he put as much strength as he could into the blow. Kenichi hissed as a cracking sound was heard. But he didn't let the pain bother him as he caught the bat with his left hand. But Hibari took advantage of the minute opening and raised his leg, knee bent, and snapped his foot towards the blond boy's side.

It would have done a fair amount of damage if Kenichi hadn't jumped back in the nick of time. Hibari's foot swept through empty air. As the foot then alighted upon the ground, Kenichi lifted his left hand and, like the swordsman that he'd trained to be all his life, he swung his bat towards Hibari's neck. It would have hit but Hibari brought his tonfa up and blocked the attack, grunting a little with the effort it took. While Kenichi's attention was taken up by that, the younger of the two struck his opponent in the gut with his other tonfa.

The air burst out of Kenichi's lungs and he bent over, dropping his bat. Hibari made use of the lapse in the guard and brought one tonfa down, with intent to hit Kenichi's head. But Kenichi caught it before it could hit. Hibari was taken aback a little; he caught it with his bare hand, just like that!

Kenichi straightened up and yanked on the tonfa, dragging Hibari towards him, and then head-butted the younger boy. Hibari saw stars for a brief second, before he let go of his tonfa and jumped back. His vision spun a little. Damn, that was one hell of a hit!

He shook his head to clear his vision and charged while Kenichi bent down to retrieve his bat. He lashed out with the bat when Hibari was within range. But Hibari fell to the ground to evade, back momentarily turned to his enemy and his right hand supporting him on the floor. But he didn't keep his back to Kenichi for very long. He snapped his right leg out in a low spinning sweep kick.

The kick caught Kenichi in the knees. He tried to evade but he was too late and stumbled back. Hibari got to his feet and leapt forward and struck Kenichi on the jaw with his remaining tonfa, followed by a punch to the gut. Kenichi staggered back even further. Blood leaked out of the corner of his lips. Hibari struck him across the face with his tonfa again.

After that, it was only a matter of knocking the blond boy off his feet. He was quite sturdy though, so Hibari had to hit him various times. More blood was spilt.

The bat finally dropped from Kenichi's grasp as he fell from a kick to the chest.

A smug smirk crossed Hibari's lips as he watched his prey go down. There could be no doubt about it; he was once more Namimori's best.

He whipped around, bent down to pick up his discarded tonfa, and went to the mouth of the alley.

"Nii-chan!" Tsuna made to come closer and Hibari, figuring the boy was looking for another hug, put a hand out to stop him. Tsuna came to a halt. Hibari looked up at Kusakabe, who was gazing towards his fallen friend. "Take him and leave."

Kusakabe nodded. "Ken-san won't be bothering you anymore. You've nothing to worry about in that regard. Although…the matter of joining the gang can wait until you start Nami-chuu." He grinned.

Hibari smirked and sheathed his tonfa. "Yes…we'll settle things once and for all. Be prepared to hand over your school, Tetsuya Kusakabe." He put a hand to Tsuna's little shoulder and steered him away. "Let's go."

Kusakabe watched him go with an amused smile. He then went to see to his friend.

Inside the building, Hibari and Tsuna trudged up. They entered the apartment. It was all in silence. Hibari went to the bedroom to rest. He was quite tired. He'd not trained today, to give his body a proper rest after all the strenuous exercise he'd gone through. Even so, he still felt weary.

He felt a presence by the door and turned to look. The herbivore was peering around the doorframe, still looking worried. Hibari lifted a hand and motioned for him to come closer. Tsuna did so, and stopped beside the bed.

For a while, Hibari just stared up at him. Tsuna got uncomfortable and looked away.

Even though Tsuna had only stayed awhile before he'd gone with Kenichi, Hibari had grown used to his presence in the apartment. It had been rather empty without him around.

Well, not that Hibari had had the time to reflect on it; the moment he'd come into the apartment since his training had begun, he'd just fix himself something to eat before flopping into bed, exhausted. He'd always been so tried. Speed and strength didn't come without some serious effort, after all. And he had been the epitome of diligence these past couple weeks.

"Did the training have any effect?" he asked.

Tsuna turned to gaze back. Slowly, he nodded. "Ken-san taught me a lot. Th-thank you…for letting me train, Nii-chan." He bowed his head and looked down at his feet.

Hibari ignored the gratitude. "You didn't come to school. Your teachers enquired." When Tsuna looked at him, his gaze turned cold. "Never skip school again. Even if you have to crawl there, you will go. Do you understand?"

Tsuna went a little pale. "H-hai…"

Hibari turned his back on the kid. "Good. Now go away; I'm going to sleep."

"Hai."

* * *

About five days passed by before Hibari was visited by a barely-recovered Kenichi. He'd been on the roof of Nami Elementary, trying to have a nap. It was lunch break and he could hear the noisy sounds of kids playing in the grounds, which annoyed him.

The roof suddenly burst open. "Ossu, Hibari!"

"Do you wish to be bitten to death?" He sat up, brow quivering a little as he pulled his tonfa out. He looked at his visitor and frowned. "What do you want?"

Kenichi walked over. He had various dressings on his face and his right arm was bound in a cast. He grinned. "If you're thinking I'm here for a rematch in this state, you're wrong."

Hibari put his tonfa down. "So? Why are you here?"

Kenichi stopped beside him and sat down at the edge of the roof, looking out at the town. "I came here to tell you to tell the kid that I'm not going to be around any longer."

Hibari scoffed as he lay back down. "Tell him yourself."

The older boy chuckled, "no way. I bet whatever respect he had for me's gone. I mean, it _is_ kinda embarrassing for a high school student getting beaten by an elementary school kid. I can't face him." He sighed and ran the hand of his uninjured arm through his blond hair. "Actually, it's because of that that I'm leaving. I'm gonna…tour the world. Haha." Despite the little laugh and the smile he wore, he looked wistful. "I guess I'll have to wait before I can be a proper master. I'm going learn as many styles of fighting as I can. And then I'll come back to take over my father's dojo." He turned to look down at Hibari. His features stilled. "Oi! Are you listening to me?! I'm pouring my heart out here, kid!"

Hibari _wasn't_ listening. He was thinking about what food to make for dinner. Since the herbivore had come, Hibari's skills in the kitchen had improved greatly. Maybe they could get takeout today though…

"Hey!" Kenichi cried. "C'mon, I'm being serious!" He scoffed when he didn't get a response. "Anyway, just let the brat know. Before our match, I'd decided that I'd continue with his training but…maybe this is for the best."

Hibari opened one eye.

Kenichi smiled down at him. "That child's really weird. Unless there's a direct threat to you, his power won't come out."

Hibari frowned and sat up. "Explain."

Kenichi chuckled at the commanding tone. Nonetheless, he did as asked, "I'm fairly sure it only works when he wants to protect something and, at the moment, you're what he wants to keep safe the most."

Hibari scoffed. Did the herbivore think him as something weak?

Kenichi interpreted the scoff correctly. "It's not that he thinks you need protecting. On the contrary, he thinks you're very strong. He looks up to you. But you being safe is just something he feels strongly about, and that's what fuels his resolve and brings out his power." He sighed. "I tried to get him to fight without mentioning you but he just took the beatings. It doesn't work if there's nothing to protect. I daresay he's still the same clumsy kid…as long as you're all right, he'll stay as he is."

They lapsed into silence. Hibari was amused. The power that only came out when someone needed to be protected.

It was surprising; Hibari had thought for definite that the kid would start to change now that he had a handle on his abilities and such, and that he'd become more like his Nii-chan. But, he was still the same herbivore. His behaviour was still the same as it had been before he'd gone off for two weeks. Hibari was quite glad about that, actually.

"Hn…stupid herbivore," he muttered. _I'm supposed to be the protector. Not you._

Kenichi got to his feet. "Well, I best be going. I'm setting off today."

Hibari got up too. He did know how to be courteous. The blond boy grinned and thumped him on the shoulder. Hibari resisted, with effort, the urge to whip out his tonfa. "Don't act so familiar, herbivore."

"Ahaha, you're so mean. Anyway, tell the kid I said goodbye. It was nice knowing you guys." He walked to the door. Before he disappeared through it, he turned back to put his hand up in a wave. "Good luck for the future, Kyouya Hibari. You'll do great things, I'm sure. Same for that little brother of yours."

And that was when Kenichi Sato disappeared from their lives forever. Not that Hibari felt much of a change. But when he passed on the goodbye to the herbivore, Tsuna was sad.

"B-but…" his brown eyes were wide and tears were forming already. His glass of milk was forgotten. "But he…"

Hibari sighed as he drank his hot chocolate. "It's fine, isn't it? He's on a quest to become stronger."

Tsuna blinked owlishly. "But…Ken-san was already strong."

Hibari looked nonchalant. "Not strong enough, apparently."

"Oh…" Tsuna lapsed into silence, lost in his thoughts. He looked upset.

Hibari finished his drink and stood up. He took the few steps to Tsuna's side of the little table and put a hand to the kid's brown hair. "We're always on a journey to improve ourselves. We can never be strong enough. Don't feel too bad about it; he's probably having the time of his life."

Tsuna looked up with wide eyes. "R-really…? Then…he's not sad? He never…got to teach at his dad's dojo…he's really not sad?"

Hibari shook his head once before making his way to the sink. He washed his mug and left the kitchen. "It's almost bedtime. Hurry up."

"Hai."

As Hibari went to the living room, he thought back over what Kenichi had told him. About the herbivore. It still amused him. He was wondering if he should maim himself to see what the kid would do…but that was just stupid. Well, he'd decided already, hadn't he? It was for the best if the kid didn't change much. Hibari liked him better that way.

He was watching TV when the herbivore stopped by the doorway. Hibari turned to look back. Tsuna smiled. "Goodnight, Nii-chan."

* * *

I guess you could say this is the end of part one. There's a time skip next chapter.

to _Seriyuu_: no HDW because...that'd just complicate the story. After this, there aren't any major fights so no opporunities to bring in the HDW.

* * *

**Omake** (not so cracky this time...there's a mention of this later in the story XD):

"Hold on." Hibari said.

Tsunayoshi wrapped his arms tightly around his Nii-chan's waist and buried his face into the older boy's back. This was not going to be good. Why did he have to endure this?! Had he done something wrong?! He didn't want to end up in the hospital again!

The motorcycle roared to life. They began to move, Hibari twisted the throttle and they jerked forward…and fell.

"OW!" Tsuna tried hard to keep the tears at bay but being flung off a moving motorcycle was no light matter. And the pain was god awful!

Hibari sat up on the road and shook his head once before he got to his feet like nothing had happened. He lifted the motorcycle up. "Let's go again."

_Kill me,_ Tsuna begged, his face turned skywards, _kill me now. Please._


	8. Family Trees

_**Five Years Later: **_

Tsuna stumbled into the apartment. Since the living room light was on already, and Nii-chan's shoes (which Tsuna nearly tripped over) were already there, he deducted that Hibari was home. But what was strange was the other two pairs of shoes there.

"Nii-chan?" he called out as he pulled off his own shoes and straightened them out. "I'm home!" He stepped up into the hallway.

That was when he noted the voices. He rounded the doorway of the living room. He stopped. There were three people in there. Nii-chan was sat on the floor by the smaller window of the room, his elbow propped up on the low table Tsuna usually sat at to do homework. There was a middle-aged man in a black suit standing by the door like a sentry. And, on the couch, was a young man with blond hair.

The man beside the door turned. "Ah, are you Tsunayoshi Sawada?"

The blond man turned in his seat at the sound of the words. "Oh, so you're Tsuna? Yo, I'm Dino!"

Tsuna automatically pulled on a smile, "h-hello." He looked questioningly at Nii-chan. Hibari looked bored. Tsuna stepped cautiously towards the couch, putting his schoolbag down beside it.

Dino budged up and patted the space beside him, "come and sit down! So, we finally meet, huh?" He had a friendly grin.

Tsuna did as asked and sat down, still feeling a little uneasy. "Um…who are you?"

Dino slipped an arm around the boy's shoulder. "You can call me aniki!"

Over in the corner, Hibari trembled a little, his eyes shadowed. When he spoke, his voice belied his anger, "When will you leave? It's quite rude pushing your unwanted presence on others. I'll bite you to death."

"Is he always like that?" Dino asked Tsuna, one finger pointing in Hibari's direction.

"Um…i-if Nii-chan says you should leave, you p-probably should…" Tsuna stammered, trying to be civil. It would be terrible if Nii-chan bit a visitor to death in their own living room.

Dino didn't take any offense in the comment as he laughed and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "You're such a cute little bro! Actually, I met up with your Nii-chan earlier and we got talking."

"Wow, really?" Tsuna asked, eyes wide. Talking? Nii-chan? How momentous. "What…did you talk about?"

Dino shrugged. "Nothing much. Ya see, I'm from Italy and, apparently, you're of…er…Italian descent." he paused, looking thoughtful, "I came searching for you cuz…you're…related to me and…er…I've been searching my family tree! Yeah, that's it!"

_That is so not convincing!_ Tsuna thought as he looked at the blond man blankly. "R-really? I've never heard of anything like that before. Sorry."

Dino sighed. "Well, you wouldn't have, right? I heard about your mother and father. I'm terribly sorry."

Tsuna kept silent. It was suddenly very awkward. The silence was broken by Hibari getting up and going to the door. "I brought you here. You've met him. Now can you leave? Before I bite you to death."

"What's the hurry?" Dino asked. "I wanna talk to my…um…relative a little." The two young men shared a meaningful glance.

Hibari broke off the gaze and looked at Tsuna, who was confused. This was all a bit…weird. And so sudden. Hibari then left. "I'm going out. By the time I come back, there should be no one here but the herbivore."

Nii-chan was being oddly tolerant, Tsuna felt. Normally, he didn't let anyone into the apartment and here there were two people! This was quite amazing.

"Ok, bye, Nii-chan." Tsuna called after him. The front door slammed shut.

Dino chuckled, "quite scary, isn't he?"

Tsuna sighed, "You can say that again. So…you were saying about…Italian descent?"

"Ah, yeah!" Dino rummaged in the pocket of his green coat. He pulled out a roll of paper and opened it out. There was a family tree there, titled "Vongola". The first name on the tree was "Giotto". The main branch was full of Italian names that Tsuna didn't even bother trying to pronounce. But, there was a smaller branch deviating from Giotto's name, which mentioned Tsuna's father and grandfather, great-grandfather etc. That branch ended with Tsuna's name.

"This is the basic family tree. You see, Giotto, the head of…our family, retired to Japan at some point and raised a family here. He's your ancestor."

Tsuna didn't believe the story. "But…there's no proof."

"Actually, there is." Dino disagreed. "But it'd take a helluva long time digging the records up."

Tsuna stared at the family tree closely. "I don't see your name on this er…Dino-san."

Dino waved a hand dismissively, "we're just a…sub-division of the family."

Tsuna fixed the blond man with another blank look. Why didn't that sound believable? Dino looked away, his expression somewhat embarrassed. "Wh-what?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Nothing. So…why are you here?"

Dino shrugged, "like I said, I've been searching my family tree. And I've always wanted to come to Japan. And I've always wanted a little brother too!" He grinned.

His friendly manner, the blond hair, it reminded Tsuna of someone from the past. But he couldn't remember that person very well, since it had been a while. Tsuna smiled at the faint memory nonetheless. "Oh. Um…then…what do you plan to do now that you've…found me?" He still didn't believe the story but, there wasn't anything threatening about this guy. Normally, Tsuna wanted to avoid any kind of trouble like it was the plague but he was curious.

Dino shrugged, "to be honest, I'm not sure." He chuckled. "I just…I was sent here on a sort of…mission. To see what you were like and all."

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, "eh? See what I was like? Why?"

The blond man shrugged again. "Orders from above. Can't dispute. But, let's have some fun, right?"

"Orders…from above?" Tsuna said slowly, trying to make sense of this unusual piece of news, "what does this…_family_ do?"

"That, I'm not allowed to reveal just yet." Dino smiled apologetically. "I was just told to assess you. I won't be staying long."

_The story has major holes in it,_ Tsuna thought. First the guy had said he was searching his family tree, and then he produced a family tree, and then said something crazy like "orders from above". That didn't sound like a family; it sounded like some shady organisation.

But what the man said next made all of Tsuna's doubts and apprehensions appear insignificant. "Iemitsu," Dino muttered, looking away, "I knew him…he was like a father to me, despite the two of us only having met a few times. You see, my own father died a while back…I lost my mother shortly after she gave birth to me…so I was really all alone…"

Tsuna gazed up with awe. Someone just like him? Dino was an orphan too…

Dino's brown eyes were so sincere that Tsuna didn't doubt his words for a second. "And then Iemitsu came," the man's expression lit up a little as a small smile curved the corner of his lips, "He said a lot of good things to cheer me up. He used to tell me stories about his son and wife back at home. He loved the two of you very much. That was when I first wanted to meet you, to see what the kid of such a cool guy was like." He chuckled and raised a hand to Tsuna's hair. "Just like he said, you're really cute."

Being a man and thinking of himself as such (despite the fact that he was a bit of a wimp), Tsuna would have ordinarily been quite offended at being called "cute". But he didn't even think on it.

Here was someone who had met his father, had talked with him. Tsuna was so envious. He smiled shakily, "th-thanks…I think…" Never mind that the story didn't fit. Never mind the "family" sounded shady. Never mind that he'd always believed that his father did odd jobs around the world so his being in Italy quite a bit was a little weird and…hold on a second! "Why was my father in Italy so much?"

Dino blanched. "A-ah…well, h-he had quite a few jobs in Italy, y-you see and…" he looked back at the man standing by the door, eyes silently pleading for help.

"You see, Master Tsunayoshi, the family helped Master Iemitsu out…" the black-haired, older man explained. "Since he was also part of the family."

"This is Romario, by the way," Dino introduced.

Tsuna stared at the man in the suit. Master…Tsunayoshi? Master Iemitsu? What the…? Was this guy a butler or something?

Dino chuckled and slung an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, "anyway, the small stuff's not important, right? I've found me a little brother! What d'ya say we hit the town tomorrow or something?"

Tsuna was completely at ease now. "Sorry…I have school so…"

"Aah, I see. Well, what about dinner? My treat."

"Ah, not, that's okay. I always eat with Nii-chan."

Dino sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "work with me a little on this, Tsuna. I wanna spend some time with my kid bro."

Tsuna shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't often get propositions like that, so he wasn't sure how to go about answering courteously. And anyway, he couldn't do anything without Nii-chan's consent. "Um…you should probably ask Nii-chan; he's my guardian."

Dino cupped his chin in his palm. "Hmm…I see. Ok then. I guess we'll be waiting until he comes back." He grinned, settling back on the couch and spreading his arms across the top.

Tsuna froze. Nii-chan had said that these guys had better be gone by the time he came back! "A-ano, can you…please come back tomorrow instead, when Nii-chan's home…or something? Nii-chan's going to be really mad if you're still here when he gets back."

Dino chuckled. "Aah, yeah, that's guy's really irritable. Well, I don't want to trouble you, Tsuna, so I guess we'll take our leave." He got to his feet.

Tsuna stood up too. He looked down. "I-I'm sorry…I know it's not very polite and all but…"

"Don't worry about it, little bro." Dino smiled. "It was nice meeting you. I'll see you some other time then."

"Hai. It was nice meeting you too, Dino-san." Tsuna walked the duo to the door and saw them off. When the door shut, he was both happy and sad. It would have been nice chatting to Dino-san a while longer, about his father and such, but he didn't want to risk Nii-chan's anger. On weekdays, Nii-chan didn't have a set time for coming back home; sometimes he came back at six and sometimes he came back after midnight, or all the times in-between.

The boy went to get changed out of his middle school uniform. The clock on Nii-chan's desk read 17:09. He'd better get started with making dinner. Nii-chan would be hungry when he came back.

The ingredients were already prepared so he set about cooking. It was his duty to make dinner, since Nii-chan was usually out on patrol after school until late at night. As well as Namimori Junior High School, Hibari was also the protector of Namimori Town. He was, as ever, a force to be reckoned with.

The boy had just about set down the dishes on the table when he heard the front door close. Following the smell of food that was no doubt wafting through the apartment, Hibari came to the kitchen. Tsuna turned around just as he came in. "Okaeri nasai, Nii-chan."

"Everything set?"

"Hai."

Hibari came to sit at the table and gave the food a onceover before picking up his chopsticks and digging in. Tsuna sat down too and, with a quiet "itadakimasu", he also started eating. As usual, their meal passed in silence.

It was when they were done and Tsuna was washing the dishes that Hibari spoke. "That man, what did he say?"

Tsuna looked over his shoulder. "Hmm?"

"The blond guy, what did he want?" Hibari asked, with barely suppressed annoyance.

Tsuna was confused; what was he so angry about? "Um…apparently, he's a relative of mine. He knew my father." He smiled a little. He really wouldn't mind talking with Dino-san a little more. Would Nii-chan give permission for him to go with the blond man though? It was up to Nii-chan if he was allowed out or not. Hibari didn't like him making decisions without informing him first.

"Hn…" Hibari said nothing more as he stood up and left the kitchen.

Having finished with the dishes, Tsuna went to the living room. He saw Nii-chan's socked feet hanging off the side of the couch, the side where Tsuna had left his schoolbag. Hibari was lying down, his hands folded behind his head and legs crossed at the ankles. Tsuna went over and picked up the bag. As he straightened up, he found Nii-chan staring at him.

Tsuna blinked. "Is something wrong, Nii-chan?"

Hibari looked away. "No."

Tsuna stood there awhile, frowning. Hibari seemed even more distanced than usual. Was everything really all right? Well, even if there was something on his mind, it wasn't like he'd actually tell Tsuna's about it.

Heaving a minute sigh, Tsuna made his way over to the low table in the corner. He fished out his homework from his bag and tried to get on with it. It was boring. It required a huge effort to keep sitting there and doing it. But if he didn't do it and Nii-chan asked to see it, Tsuna would be bitten to death. Nii-chan didn't want such a failure living under his roof.

Halfway through, his boredom got the better of him and he stopped trying to solve the math problems and started to daydream.

Kyoko Sasagawa, she was so cute…today, she'd even looked at him! It had been very brief, admittedly, but still! She'd actually looked at him…and she'd smiled! She smiled at everybody. She was so polite…so well-mannered…she was the best girl in school! One day, hopefully, he'd gather up the courage to actually speak to her…but, until then, he'd just admire her from afar, because he was a coward…

"Herbivore, what're you doing?"

Nii-chan's cold voice cut through his daydreams and he had to put in a lot of effort not to shriek. Nii-chan hated it when he shrieked. He turned his head to see Nii-chan looking at him. His cheeks flushed and he looked down. How embarrassing, to be caught daydreaming in front of Nii-chan. Nii-chan was very strict about Tsuna's schoolwork being dealt with properly. "S-sorry, Nii-chan."

"Finish your homework and make me some coffee."

"Hai." Tsuna picked up his pen and resumed with his homework.

It was a while later that the phone in the hallway rang. Hibari got up to answer it. Tsuna listened keenly, wondering who it was.

"Yes?" Hibari said. "…why?" Silence. "Not on a school day…that's fine…No, I won't…I don't especially care…Just leave me out of your plans." He put the phone down and came back to the living room. He stared over at Tsuna for a few seconds. "The Bucking Horse wants to take you out for a day."

Tsuna frowned. "Bucking Horse?"

"That man. Dino Cavallone what's-his-name."

"Oh. Why is he called Bucking Horse?"

Hibari settled back on the couch. "Who knows? Hurry up with your homework; I'm waiting for that coffee."

"Hai." Tsuna proceeded to plough through his homework, feeling much happier. Suddenly, Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

* * *

He didn't see Dino on Friday but, on Saturday, he was practically jumping up and down. Hibari was getting quite irritated. "You're being annoying, herbivore." he said as they ate breakfast.

Tsuna's happy mood died down a little. Why was Nii-chan annoyed? Tsuna hadn't done anything! He just couldn't keep the grin off his face, that was all. So he tried to tone it down. When was Dino-san coming anyway? He'd not heard anything else on the matter by Nii-chan.

"Ano, Nii-chan?" he mumbled.

"Hn?"

"When is…when is Dino-san going to come?"

"He said at half ten in the morning, I believe."

Tsuna looked over at the over clock. It was ten to ten now. Awesome, just another forty minutes! His happy grin appeared once again.

As the time for Dino's arrival drew closer, Tsuna grew even more excited. He couldn't wait to discuss things with Dino. Since Tsuna had been fairly young when his parents had died, he didn't remember much about them so hearing about them was pretty exciting.

He slipped on his favourite white and orange jacket and was getting out his saved pocket money when there was a knock at the door. Hibari went to answer it.

"Yo, Kyouya!" Dino's friendly voice was heard. "How's it going?"

The door slammed close. Tsuna peeked around the door of the bedroom. _Hah?!_ He stared, incredulous, as Hibari disappeared into the living room. There was nobody else in sight. Where was Dino-san?!

The front door opened. "Oi, Kyouya! That's so rude!" Dino cried, but then he spotted Tsuna peering out of the bedroom door and grinned, putting a hand up in greeting. "Mornin, Tsuna!"

Tsuna was beaming as he stepped out. "Hello, Dino-san."

The blond man smiled. "So, you ready to go?"

"Hai!" Tsuna stopped by the living room door. Hibari was sitting on the couch, leaning forward over the table, which was littered with many papers and files. "Nii-chan, I'll be going now."

Hibari didn't show any kind of response. Tsuna frowned. "Nii-chan…?"

"If you're going, then go." Hibari said after a while. "Don't waste my time."

"H-hai…" Tsuna stared a second longer before he went to the entrance and slipped on his trainers. He shut the door, suddenly feeling apprehensive. Nii-chan was mad about something. After having lived with that man for five years, Tsuna had become rather adept at being able to tell when his Nii-chan was angry, even if his facial expressions rarely changed.

But Hibari had already given consent, right? So he couldn't be mad at Tsuna.

"So, Tsuna, where d'ya wanna go?" Dino asked.

Tsuna shrugged. "I'm not fussy. I just want to talk with Dino-san about…" he looked away, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

He felt a hand on his head. Dino ruffled his hair. "About your dad, right? I imagine you would. It's all right." He grinned.

Tsuna gazed up at the blond man, feeling relieved. "Thank you. I just…I didn't really know him and…" They approached the stairs leading down. Dino slipped, fell, and thudded all the way down. Tsuna stared, horrified. "Dino-san! Are you okay?!"

At the foot of the staircase, a sprawled out Dino lifted a hand, with some difficulty, and gave the "ok" signal. Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief and started down the stairs. But he fell too. He cried out as he hit every step on the way down but at least his fall to the bottom was cushioned by Dino's body.

"Oof!" the air left Dino's lungs with abruptness as Tsuna landed on top of him.

"I-I'm sorry, Dino-san!" Tsuna cried as he immediately got off the man.

Dino sat up, rubbing his head. "Don't worry about it, Tsuna." He smiled and jumped to his feet. "Anyway, let's go. The guys are waiting."

Tsuna frowned. "The guys?"

"Yeah. Romario and the others."

Tsuna saw what he meant by "the guys" when they emerged outside. In the road in front of the apartment building were six _big_ black cars, three of either side of a smaller red sports car. And outside all those cars were men in black shades and suits.

"Hii!" Tsuna cried, hiding behind Dino. Who were they?! They looked like they were here to come collect protection money or something! They looked so scary! They looked like mafia!

Dino chuckled and steered the little boy forward. "Don't worry. These are all my subordinates."

"Huh?" Tsuna looked up at first Dino and then at the mass of men. "Sub…ordinates…?"

"Yo, boss, should we go?" one of the men asked.

Tsuna frowned. Boss?

Dino nodded. "Yeah."

A familiar man got out from the driver's seat of the red car. "Good morning, Master Tsunayoshi." He bowed.

Tsuna blinked owlishly. It was weird being greeted like that. "Ano, j-just Tsuna will do, Romario-san." He smiled shakily, still a little wary of the company he was in.

"Romario's too fixed on titles, right?" Dino laughed as he went to the car and pulled open the back door. He gestured for Tsuna to climb inside. "Come on; we should get going."

Tsuna glanced around at the men before gulping and dashing into the vehicle. Dino sat in after him and closed the door. Simultaneously, all the guys sat in their respective vehicles. Romario also sat inside, in the driver's seat, and started up the car. The cars all drove off as one, three in front and three behind Dino's car.

"So, where are we going?" Tsuna asked.

Dino grinned. "I thought an amusement park might be cool. It's been a while since I've been to one and you didn't recommend anything so we'll just go with that. That okay?"

"Hai."

It was so odd, Tsuna felt, sitting here, with an "older brother", on his way to an amusement park. The last time he'd been to an amusement park had been with his parents, when he'd been about five and a half, if he remembered correctly.

He'd never been out much before. He didn't have friends so there was nobody to hang out with. He didn't mind though, because he wouldn't have to tell Nii-chan when he was going out and with whom; he had the feeling Nii-chan expected him at home all the time.

He tried to quell his worry. It wasn't like he or Nii-chan ever did anything special on the weekends so Nii-chan wouldn't miss his presence. Typically, Hibari left before noon, spent all day out in the town doing his "patrols" or whatever, and then came back in the late evening.

"So, when was the last time you went to the amusement park, Tsuna? I bet Kyouya spoils you rotten!"

Tsuna held back a scoff. Spoil him? Yeah right! They might as well be just two strangers living under the same roof. "Um…no…Nii-chan's a very busy person." he replied.

Dino frowned. "What, he's never been on a fun day out with you?"

Tsuna shook his head. "He has more important things to worry about."

"But still, that's pretty harsh of him. He should let you enjoy yourself once in a while. That's how kids get rebellious, ya know? They don't get enough attention."

Tsuna flushed in embarrassment. What a thing to say! He was far too scared of being bitten to death to ever rebel against Hibari! But, more than that…"N-no, it's not like that at all. I'm grateful to Nii-chan for taking me in; without Nii-chan, I probably wouldn't be where I am now. I owe Nii-chan my life." He smiled, the gesture making his already soft, gentle expression seem even cuter.

Dino smiled too. "You must love your Nii-chan a lot, then."

Tsuna tried to quell his embarrassment. Someone just blatantly saying something like that was quite weird. The words were true, though. Five years had passed and his feeling of indebtedness to Hibari had only grown. He could never repay such a debt but the least he could do was try to be a little less of a nuisance to the man.

Dino gazed at the boy with an unreadable expression, his lips curved up just the slightest bit in a small, enigmatic smile.

* * *

There's a good reason why it was Dino who came first instead of Reborn...Reborn won't come in until the end.

No omake today, sorry. Couldn't think of anything .


	9. Amusement Park

Tsuna was left alone, out of the way of incoming visitors of the amusement park, while Dino and his men all went to get tickets. He was waiting at the place where they'd parked their cars. He really didn't see the need for all of those guys to go and get the tickets but he'd not questioned it. Dino-san could have stayed behind with him though, but he'd never have said that aloud. He may be a wimp but he didn't like acting like one.

So he stood leaning against the side of Dino-san's red sports car. It was then that he was interrupted by the arrival of a gang of six scary-looking guys.

"Hey, kid, tha's a purdy nifty lil car ya got there!" The ringleader, walking ahead of all the others, was dressed in a black tank top that showed off a well-built upper body. His hair went to his shoulders in a thick, black mess and there was a piercing at the corner of his left eyebrow.

His men, all with the same unkempt appearance, snickered as they closed in around the boy. Tsuna frowned.

The black-haired ring leader cackled, "Since yer here, that must mean ya know who the guy this here belongs ta, right?" He patted the top of the sleek red car.

Tsuna breathed out deeply from his nose. He felt exasperated. These guys weren't scary but they could still kill him. It had been a while since he'd been in a situation like this. "Um…this isn't my car…"

"So?" the ringleader stuck his face close to Tsuna's. Tsuna couldn't move back because he was already backed up against the car. He tried hard not to shriek.

The ringleader was so close Tsuna could see his nose hairs. He recoiled back, feeling disgusted. He was starting to get a little scared; even if he thought these guys more stupid than scary, what if Dino-san came back to find all his cars looted and Tsuna sprawled on the ground, dead?

He gulped. The ringleader grinned, "See, kid, if you hadn't been here, we could have just robbed the car. It wouldn't have been easy but, since you are here, we'll just use you to get the keys! It's so much easier."

His weird accent had slipped, at least. Tsuna tried to will himself to become one with the car, so that he could just disappear and warn Dino-san that some petty delinquents were trying to steal his motors. Of course, it didn't work.

"Now then…" the ringleader began, inspecting Tsuna, "what shall we do with y…?"

Before he could finish speaking, a voice was heard behind them. "Hey, what're you guys doing?"

Relief flooded through Tsuna as the six delinquents turned around. Dino stood there, frowning. The ringleader began to leer as he turned to head for Dino instead. "So, you're the owner of this car, huh? Pretty sweet ride ya got here."

Dino's frown melted into a smile. "Thanks. So, what're you guys doing to my little bro?"

The ringleader glanced between Tsuna and Dino. "You guys are brothers?"

Dino stopped a little ways behind them and grinned, "Sure we are! Can't you tell?"

_Is this really the time and place for this?!_ Tsuna's plea was only in his mind though.

"Er, no?" the ringleader snorted. "Anyway, this isn't the time for friendly conversation. You'll give us the keys for this ride. We could make such a healthy profit from it!" He glanced around at his men as they all cackled in agreement, thinking of the money already. They all got out assorted weapons.

Dino didn't budge. "Let's try to be civil here, gentlemen." he said. "We don't want trouble."

Tsuna frowned. Dino-san seemed pretty confident. Tsuna would understand if Dino's "underlings" were around but there was no sign of them. Why was he so confident?

"And what if," the ringleader smirked as he took a few steps towards Dino, "we do want trouble, foreigner?"

Dino's hand reached into his coat, his expression no longer friendly. "Then I guess I'll have to teach you guys a lesson." What he pulled out had Tsuna's frown deepening. There was a whip in the blond man's hand. He unfurled it, holding onto the end. "It wouldn't be wise to do anything to my little bro or my property." he warned, his voice almost a whisper.

The ringleader burst into laughter as he pulled out a knife. "I'm skilled at usin this, ya know? Don't be testin me now. Jus hand over the keys."

Dino lashed out with his whip. Tsuna stood in awe…until the whip doubled back and hit Dino in the face. Tsuna winced as Dino cried out, staggered back, doubled over, and clutched at his face. The gang of delinquents roared in laughter.

Tsuna took advantage of the opening and ran between them, as if his legs were on automatic, and went up to the blond man. "Dino-san!"

Dino hissed as he took his hand away from his face. His cheek was bright red. "Tsuna, I have a problem. Without my men around, I'm not even at half the strength I should be at and I can't fight. You have to get us out of this situation."

What kind of inability was that?! Tsuna stared down at him, eyes wide. "Wh-what?! B-but…I can't do anything! I'm useless!"

The ringleader and his gang were closing in. Dino straightened up, whip held at the ready once more. "Look, Tsuna, if you don't do something, we'll both be in trouble. What will Kyouya say then, huh? I really don't want this to be the last time I get to take my little bro out."

For someone who was troubled about their current situation, Dino-san sure looked calm. Tsuna's legs were beginning to shake. "B-but…" Tsuna stammered, trying to back away as the enemy got even closer, now leering, guaranteed of their victory.

Dino put a hand to Tsuna's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Bring out your power, Tsuna. That one that comes out when you want to protect something. If you don't act now, we'll get creamed."

Tsuna was frozen. How did…Dino-san know about that power? Even Tsuna himself barely remembered it, since he hardly ever made use of it. It had been so long since he'd even thought of it so how the hell did Dino-san know about it?!

But now wasn't the time to wonder about that! If these hoodlums had their way, not only Tsuna, but Dino-san too, would suffer! He couldn't let that happen! At any cost!

He couldn't believe it! The first time in ages and ages that he finally went for a fun day out and it got ruined by common thugs! How dare these petty thieves try to get in the way of his life?! How dare they try to hurt the man who had been so kind to him?! And if he messed up today, Nii-chan probably wouldn't trust him to go out with anyone ever again! He couldn't allow that! Nii-chan would be so disappointed if something happened and Tsuna had been totally helpless!

Something flickered erratically on his forehead. The sound of cloth ripping was heard. Tsuna's hands tightened into fists. The something on his head turned into a proper, steady flame. He tore out of his clothes and stood in only his boxers. "REBORN! SAVE DINO-SAN AS IF I WERE TO DIE!"

All the thugs stumbled back in surprise. Tsuna leapt amid them, fists flying and legs kicking. Harsh battle cries escaped his lips as he knocked down every single one of them.

It didn't last long. Dino coiled his whip up and put it away and watched the show, a small smile on his face.

When it was done, Tsuna came over, eyes still a little wild. "ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, DINO-SAN?!"

Dino winced as the words were shouted right in his face. "A-ah, yeah, I'm fine."

A few seconds later, the flame burnt out and Tsuna's expression returned to normal. "Eh…? Dino-san?" He turned back and looked at men on the ground. His jaw dropped open and he whipped around to face Dino again. "I-I…I didn't…I mean…I don't know…I…!"

Dino put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. That was the power I was looking for."

Tsuna's eyes were wide. He looked confused. "You…huh…?"

Dino smiled. "I'm sorry to have scared you like that. I hired those men. I told my men to go into the park ahead of us. You see, when they're around, I don't have any problem fighting and to bring out your power, there had to be something that needed protecting, right?"

Tsuna's eyes went even wider. "You…you set this up…?" he muttered in disbelief. "You deliberately set this up?" Feelings of hurt crept into his heart. He'd been so scared! He'd really thought this man was going to get hurt!

Dino sighed. "I'll understand if you're angry. That's why I came to Japan in the first place. All that stuff about looking into family trees was a lie."

Tsuna's hurt faded a little. He blinked. "Then…why _did_ you come to Japan? Who…are you?"

Dino ruffled the boy's hair. "I'm not your enemy, Tsuna."

Tsuna nodded slowly. He knew that already, despite the breach of trust he'd just experienced. "I know."

Dino smiled again. "Just trust me, okay? I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm only here to observe you a little. That just now was to test your skills."

The boy's brows came together in a tight frown. "Test my skills? For what?"

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you just yet. You _will_ find out soon though. Just…trust me, okay?"

And, strangely enough, Tsuna did. The first time he'd met Dino, he'd known he was a trustworthy guy. He'd always been good at reading people, after all.

Dino walked around him and went to the car, pulling out a mobile phone as he did so. He dialled a number and pressed the device to his ear. "Ah, Romario. There's a mess here that needs cleaning up. Come deal with it." He hung up and slid the phone back in his pocket. He then fished out his car keys and went to the boot. "I got you a spare pair of clothes, just in case." he said to Tsuna. "Slip em on and we'll go and have some fun, right?"

* * *

Dino forced Tsuna to get on a roller coaster. Big mistake. By the end of it, Tsuna looked like he was ready to faint. He was feeling ill, and for more than one reason; he was scared of heights and he had motion sickness.

He got off the ride, holding onto Dino because he couldn't stand properly (hell, he couldn't even see properly because he was dizzy!) and Dino half-walked half-dragged him to the nearest toilets. He gladly threw up his breakfast and the juice and muffin that Dino had gotten for him on the way in.

Dino stood in the door of the cubicle as he puked, wincing at every barfing sound that Tsuna made. "You should have told me you were weak to that kind of thing, Tsuna." the blond man sighed.

The vomiting came to a stop. Tsuna kept leaning over the toilet bowl though, just in case. "I-I was trying to…but Dino-san didn't listen."

Dino paused to think about it. "Aah, so you did. My bad." he grinned apologetically.

Tsuna sat in that toilet cubicle for a while longer, until he felt the dizziness pass. He got to his feet. "I'm sorry about this." he muttered. He wondered if Nii-chan would think any less of him than he already did if he heard about this.

"Don't worry about it. Where shall we go next?"

Tsuna went to rinse out his mouth. "I think I should get some gum or something." he muttered sourly after he spat the water out. "You know, one of those ones that freshens your breath?"

"I should have some." Dino said, digging around in the pocket of his coat. He pulled out a little pack of chewing gum and handed it over. Tsuna accepted with heartfelt thanks.

Outside the toilets, Dino's men were guarding the entrance as if something top secret had been going on in there. Tsuna was kind of grateful, actually; at least nobody aside from Dino-san had seen him vomit.

The next ride that they decided on, after much consideration, was the bumper-cars. All of Dino's men joined in too, so the lot of them had the arena all to themselves. Tsuna sat in with Dino and they rammed the front of their car into everyone, much to Dino's men's protests.

Tsuna didn't particularly enjoy the feeling of being jerked forward every time they hit someone but Dino and his men were clearly having a blast. About halfway through, Dino let Tsuna take the wheel. It was a mistake. The men all got their own back on their boss. Dino didn't mind though, and laughed along with them. "You guys better watch your backs today." he warned good-naturedly.

Tsuna finally began to relax. It put him at ease to see the interactions between Dino and his underlings. It was like they were…family.

They stopped for lunch a while later and Romario went to get Tsuna and Dino's orders, while the rest of the guys waited in line too.

"So, Tsuna, it's not been too boring, I hope?" Dino asked with an easy grin as they sat down at one of the tables outside the café.

Tsuna shook his head. "No." He smiled.

"That's great!" Dino's grin slipped a little. "But I guess you still want to talk about your father, huh?"

Tsuna looked down at the tabletop and nodded. "Hai."

"Iemitsu was a great man. He did a number of odd jobs for the family. He was strong and really easy to get along with." The blond man suddenly chuckled, "and he always used to boast about how pretty his wife was and how cute his son was. He was really proud of you."

Tsuna's cheeks coloured red a little, though he wasn't sure if he felt proud or embarrassed. From the few memories he could recall about his parents, he knew his father had been a big guy, and his presence would be impossible to miss and he would _always_ be jovial.

Tsuna looked up at Dino, "Dino-san said your father died too…?"

Dino nodded. "Yeah, I was quite young at the time, probably about as old as you are now."

"And…dad helped you?"

He nodded. "Yeah…he's…he was a really funny guy. Cheered me up right away."

Tsuna smiled. "That's good."

Dino ruffled his hair. "Yeah. So, I plan to repay him by taking care of you."

Tsuna's smile died on his lips. Taking care of him? He turned disbelieving eyes on the blond man. "You're not…You won't…take me away from…Nii-chan, right?"

Dino took in the boy's expression with a thoughtful frown. But then he smiled again. "Of course not! Kyouya would probably kill me if I did anything like that!"

Tsuna stared at the man blankly. "Right."

"What, you don't believe me? He's very concerned about you."

Tsuna scoffed. "No he isn't. Nii-chan thinks I'm a bother." He stared at the surface of the table with a glum gaze. Of course it was true. That was the reason Nii-chan never spoke to him properly, or never went anywhere with him.

He looked up as Dino ruffled his hair again. The man shook his head, a smile still on his lips, "as the boss of quite a number of guys, it's my duty to understand them all, ya know? I know them all inside out and because of that, I've gotten quite good at reading people. And Kyouya cares about you very much."

"Maybe a little; that's why he hasn't kicked me out yet."

"He wouldn't kick you out, kiddo."

"If I didn't make meals and get the shopping, he probably would."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

Of course he believed it! It was true. If Tsuna didn't deal with the chores, he would have no use around the house so Nii-chan would see no reason to keep him around.

He shrugged. Dino scoffed. "Well, whatever. Just look closely and you'll see. You're irreplaceable to him."

Tsuna felt his skin crawling. He was half-expecting Nii-chan to jump out from somewhere and bite them all to death for even daring to talk about such a ridiculous subject.

He looked up and, much to his relief, he saw Romario coming over with their orders. "Th-the food's here."

* * *

They stopped by the gift shop on their way out. It was nearing May now and Tsuna still needed to get Hibari a birthday present. He'd been thinking what to get for ages, since Nii-chan was a difficult person to please.

For the past three years, every May, he'd tried his best to get something that Nii-chan would like. He'd always save his pocket money so he'd be able to get something good. Nii-chan had high standards, after all.

He stopped before a shelf boasting stuffed animals of every size. They had a zoo here, and they'd spent a while there too. Nii-chan liked animals, right? What about a stuffed animal? But he really wasn't the type to play with toys, or even keep them close.

Tsuna moved on to the animal posters. Some of them had speech bubbles next to them, with humorous lines written inside. There was so much animal merchandise here! What to choose?!

"What's up, Tsuna?" Dino asked, stopping beside him.

Tsuna turned to the man with a glum expression. "What should I get for Nii-chan? It's his birthday soon."

"Oh, really? Then…" Dino grinned, "Anything will do as long as it's from you, right? Besides, it's the thought that counts."

"B-b-but…but he's not that easygoing!" Tsuna sputtered. Dino-san didn't know Nii-chan very well, otherwise he'd know better than to say ridiculous things like that.

Dino chuckled. "Just hurry up and choose; it'll get dark soon and I'm assuming Kyouya wants you back home before then."

Tsuna was sure Nii-chan wasn't even at home, but he didn't argue. Dino and his men were probably getting tired of taking him around the entirety of the amusement park. He ought to hurry and get this over and done with. So, with much trepidation, he chose a stuffed animal.

"Here, I'll get it." Dino offered.

Tsuna turned, waving his hands around wildly, "N-no! That's all right! Then it wouldn't be my gift! And Dino-san's paid for too much already!"

Dino laughed, "Relax. It doesn't matter. I don't mind spoiling you, little bro."

"I-it's all right! Th-thank you anyway!" Tsuna leapt over to the counter to avoid further discussion on the subject.

After that, they finally left. It was approaching eight 'o' clock in the evening. An hour or so had been taken up by dinner (the guys took ages, since arguments often broke out), before they'd gone to the gift shop. Tsuna had had fun; once he'd started to relax around Dino's subordinates, it had been easy to join in conversations and laugh with them.

"Wanna go somewhere next weekend too?" Dino asked. They were in the car, on their way back.

Tsuna shrugged, "you'll have to ask Nii-chan."

Dino chuckled. "He probably won't agree."

"Probably. I was supposed to do the shopping today."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. He should let you be a kid every once in a while."

"That isn't worth much to Nii-chan." Tsuna sighed. "I'm definitely not going to be the one to ask him."

"Fine, I'll ask."

"Today?"

"No, he'll probably be a little pissed today so I'll give him some time to cool down."

There was a part of Tsuna that was suddenly not looking forward to seeing Nii-chan. He was pretty silent for the rest of the ride home.

When they stopped outside the apartment building, Tsuna didn't ask whether Dino wanted to come in and Dino didn't follow him out of the car either. The boy turned as he walked up the doorsteps and waved. Dino had opened the window of the car and waved back.

Tsuna opened the door and went in. Upstairs, he paused as his hand hovered over the handle of the door to Hibari's apartment. He'd noted outside that the window of the living room was dark. Was Nii-chan really not home?

With this hope, Tsuna tried the door handle. It was locked. Another good sign. He fished out his own key and unlocked the door. The hallway was dark, which made the soft light streaming out from the bedroom all the more noticeable. Tsuna stopped dead, his gift bag clutched tightly to his chest.

Hibari was home. Would he be angry? But he had no reason to be, right? He'd given consent for this outing today. With legs that were suddenly shaking, Tsuna stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. He removed his shoes and stepped up into the hallway.

He went straight to the bedroom. Standing in the doorway, he saw that Nii-chan was lying on his bed. His hands were folded behind his head and his legs were crossed at the ankles.

He was awake, Tsuna knew. Nii-chan woke up at the drop of a hat.

"Nii-chan?" Tsuna called out gently.

Hibari didn't open his eyes. "Make me some food."

Tsuna stared. "Has…Nii-chan not eaten yet?"

"Obviously not, if I'm telling you to make me something, stupid herbivore." Hibari responded with perfect blankness.

Tsuna sighed. It seemed Nii-chan was angry. But what for? "Hai." The boy padded over to the left side of the room, towards his own bed. He pulled open the top drawer of the black desk that formerly belonged to Hibari and slipped in the bag he was carrying. He then made his way out.

In the kitchen, he saw that the shopping was already done, much to his surprise. Since Nii-chan was usually out all day, he rarely did the shopping. Tsuna felt bad. Without further ado, he got started on fixing up some food.

Some half an hour later, he went to call Hibari to dinner. Stopping by the door of the bedroom, he realised Hibari was still on his bed. "Nii-chan?"

"Hn…?" Hibari opened one eye.

Tsuna smiled. "Dinner's ready."

Hibari got up and brushed past the boy on his way out. Tsuna went into the bedroom and went to flop down on his own bed. He was quite tired. But he had some homework to finish off. Nii-chan might know of that so he'd probably tell Tsuna to finish it straight away. Until then, though, Tsuna could take a quick nap. Today had been a long day…

"Herbivore."

He was jerked out of the state in-between consciousness and sleep. His eyes snapped open and he sat up. Hibari was sitting on his own bed, poring over a file in his hand. "Make me some coffee."

Waking Tsuna up just to ask him to make some coffee? Nii-chan wasn't usually that inconsiderate. But Tsuna daren't argue so he got up, suppressing a yawn and rubbing at his eyes as he did so. "Hai." He went to the kitchen. After putting the kettle on, he washed the dishes in the sink.

Having made the coffee, he picked up the violet and black mug and went to the bedroom. There were now even more files spread out over the bed. Hibari looked through them, a pen in hand. He didn't look up as Tsuna came to set the mug down on the black bedside cabinet.

As Tsuna straightened up, Hibari spoke, "you haven't finished your homework."

"I'll do it now." Tsuna responded.

Hibari made no reply. Tsuna turned and left the room. He walked down the hallway and went to the living room and switched on the light. Seating himself in the corner he usually sat at, he pulled out his schoolbag from under the low table and got out his things.

It was torturous, particularly since the subject he currently had to deal with was maths. If he put in some effort, all the other subjects were okay, just maths was a problem. He wondered if he should ask Nii-chan. But Nii-chan might call him stupid (nothing new, really; Nii-chan always called him stupid, but still).

So he endured it and tried to get his head around it on his own. If there were mistakes, Nii-chan would check and tell him how stupid he was later on, but there could be no helping that. He just had to finish!

It was about two hours later that he shut his book and heaved a massive sigh of relief. That was when Nii-chan came in. He settled on the couch. "Homework." he said as he held a hand out.

"Hai." Tsuna got up and took his question sheet and his exercise book over, along with a pencil.

Hibari took the book, the sheet and the pencil and leant back on the couch. He flicked through the book and set it on his drawn-up knee and started looking through. The pencil in his hand was a blur of motion as it ceaselessly wrote on the page.

He turned the page and continued writing on the other side while Tsuna looked on in dread. Everything was…wrong? Hibari wouldn't write anything if the answers were right so that must mean everything was wrong. His two hours of work…all for nothing…!

"You had some English work too." Hibari said as he closed the book and tossed it onto the table, where it landed right in front of Tsuna.

Tsuna picked up the book and went to get the English work he'd been doing yesterday. He handed that exercise book over too. This one got much the same treatment. Then he had to hand over his Japanese homework too. The process was repeated for all his subjects.

Tsuna was quite thankful that Nii-chan checked his homework like this, because then he didn't have anything wrong when he gave it to the teachers. But Nii-chan was absolutely brutal when he went through it.

As he threw the final book down, he straightened up. He looked up at Tsuna with a blank gaze. "You're pathetic, stupid herbivore."

Tsuna looked down as an embarrassed flush streaked across his cheeks. This was usual.

"Finish it all before you go to bed."

That wasn't usual though. Tsuna looked up, eyes wide. "B-but…" There's no way he could do it now! He was tired and he wanted nothing more than to go to bed! His brain was already slowing down!

Hibari's jaw tightened briefly and his dull blue eyes darkened. "Is that a problem?"

Tsuna bit his lip to avoid shrieking. Nii-chan was mad, _really_ mad! But…but why?! Tsuna hadn't done anything! But he was much too cowardly to inquire about the subject. So he picked up his book and went back to the little table in the corner.

He felt hurt. Nii-chan wasn't being fair! It was the weekend! Tsuna had one more day to do this, and some of it wasn't even due in for Monday! Why did he have to do it now?! He'd been out all day and he was so tired!

But he was too scared of being bitten to death to protest. It wasn't wise to go against Nii-chan; the few times Tsuna had tried to in the past, it had ended none too favourably. Like that one time when Tsuna had really wanted to go to a fair that had come to town…

_Tsuna looked at the rides and all the other children there with their parents or guardians, laughing and playing. His brown eyes glittered and he looked up at Hibari. "Nii-chan?" _

"_Hn?" Hibari asked. _

_Tsuna pointed. "Can we go?" _

_They'd just finished shopping for groceries and were on their way back. Nii-chan was, as usual, carrying most of the stuff. Hibari didn't even glance once at the direction Tsuna was pointing in. "No." _

_Tsuna felt a huge wave of disappointment wash over his heart. He looked back at the fair, at all the little kids having fun. He wanted to laugh and play like that too. "Nii-chan, please?" _

"_No." Hibari replied. _

"_B-but…please, Nii-chan? I-I won't be long! I promise!" _

"_I said no." Hibari hissed. That should have been warning enough, but Tsuna was consumed by the need to visit a carousel or some of the other rides. He remembered going to an amusement park with his mommy and daddy and he wanted to do it again, if only just to quell some of the loneliness he felt at that moment. _

_Tears gathered at the little boy's eyes. "B-but…j-just a while? Please, Nii-chan!" _

_Hibari's eyes were cold as he looked down at the boy. "I shouldn't have to keep repeating myself." _

_Tsuna really should have known better than to let his anger out in front of Nii-chan. He'd never thought he'd feel angry at Nii-chan but he was being treated so unfairly! "But…I want to go!" the little boy cried. "Why is Nii-chan being so unfair?!" _

_Hibari stared down at the kid. His eyes might as well have been shooting out ice. He put a hand to Tsuna's head and curled his fingers into a fist amid the little boy's hair. Tsuna winced as his hair was yanked. Hibari bent down. "Don't test my patience, herbivore." he said quietly. "I said we're not going." _

_Tears were now falling down Tsuna's cheeks. "B-but…Nii-chan never lets me go anywhere!" _

_The hand in his hair tightened. He gasped. Hibari's face was so close now. "Refusing to follow my orders will get you bitten to death. Obstinacy will also get you bitten to death. Now, unless you wish to be killed, come along quietly." _

_Tsuna gulped. After that, there was no more discussion and he followed after Hibari obediently, in silence, staring wistfully back at the fair. _

Tsuna sighed. He got on with his homework. Perhaps he'd done something wrong without realising it? Should he not have gone out with Dino-san? But if Nii-chan had had a problem with that, he should have just said!

Hibari watched some TV, looking bored. Tsuna caught the frequent glances shot his way and he didn't know what to make of them. Should he say something…?

"A-ano…" he spoke up against his better judgement, but he didn't dare look up at Hibari, "is Nii-chan…angry?"

The reply, when it came, was in a blank tone, "Hn…who knows?"

Tsuna risked a peek up. Hibari was staring at him so he quickly looked down again.

"Hurry up." the man said.

"Hai." Tsuna resumed his schoolwork.

* * *

Are the chapters too long? Cuz, when I write, I don't really think about where the breaks and how long the chapters have to be so...yeh...

* * *

**Omake** (crack section that has nothing to do with the story, featuring my latest obsession: Xanxus!):

Xanxus looked up from his task. "What do you want, trash? Can't you see I'm busy?

He was currently sitting astride one fallen Superbia Squalo, one hand holding the swordsman's collar while his other was tightened in a fist. Squalo was unconscious and blood was dripping out of his mouth.

What might he be doing to the poor fellow?

Xanxus scoffed. "Isn't that obvious? I'm venting."

Why so angry, Xanxus?

"THOSE PIECES OF TRASH DIDN'T GET MY MEAT!"

Who?

"My subordinates! HIIYAH!" He headbutted the already inert Squalo. "Trash, how could you not get my meat?! I'm a growing boy! I need my meat!" He shook his second-in-command violently.

He stopped suddenly, frowning at his subordinate. "This is kinda fun..." He tossed the body up into the air and kicked it as it began to plummet to the ground again.

The rest of the Varia heard crazed giggling from the direction of their boss's room. Lussuria opted to go investigate.

When he came back, he looked a little pale. "Boss...has found a new hobby. I mean...it's an old hobby but...it's suddenly reached new heights..."

"Shishishi, wasn't Squalo screaming before?" Bel asked as he reclined back on the couch. "What happened to him?"

"Well, boss beat him up...and now he's...using the body as target practice." Promptly, various gunshots were heard.

"That's pretty brutal." the prince said as he picked up the can on the table in front of him. He went back to watching the TV.

* * *

Well, that was...random...I'm running out of ideas. You people got any?


	10. Picnic

Tsuna slept in the next day. He didn't do that often, since he always woke up before Nii-chan on the weekends so he could make breakfast. But when he sat up in bed, he looked across the room at the digital clock on Hibari's bedside cabinet and saw that it was 12:18. Hibari's bed was empty.

_Shimatta!_ Tsuna thought as he shot out of bed. He hurriedly made the bed and went to get together his things so he could go and have a bath.

He paused in the doorway of the room and glanced across the hall at the kitchen door. He couldn't see anyone through it. He checked the living room on his way to the bathroom but that was empty too. He guessed Nii-chan had already left, but why hadn't he woken Tsuna up before? It was usually Tsuna's job to make the food.

He deduced that it was work-related and put it out of his mind as he had a bath. Nii-chan was a busy person, after all.

He then went to get himself some breakfast. There were washed dishes set at the side of the sink to dry. Hibari had at least eaten then. Tsuna set about making his own breakfast.

He was eating when the phone rang. He nearly choked on his rice. Who would call this place? Hibari had threatened to bite salespeople to death if they dared bother him. Only rarely did anyone ring this number. But sometimes, ignorant salespeople did still ring so maybe it was one of them.

He got up to go answer it. He lifted the receiver and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yo, Tsuna!" Dino's voice came over the line.

"Dino-san!" Tsuna said cheerily.

Dino chuckled, "you should like you're in a good mood. You busy?"

"Um, not really. Why?"

"Come to Nami-chuu."

The boy frowned. "Nami-chuu? Why?"

"Just come. I'll see you in a bit." And the line went dead. Tsuna stared at the receiver as if it might give him some sort of explanation. Nami-chuu? What for?

He finished breakfast and cleaned the dishes and then went to the bedroom. He dug out a pair of socks from the drawer on the side of his bed and slipped them on. He paused to grab his apartment key from the desk, where he'd left it last night, before he raced out. He stopped by the closet in the hallway and pulled out a white sports jacket and shrugged it on and went to get on some shoes.

Trainers on, he shot out of the front door, closing it shut behind him and locking it. He was so curious. Why had Dino-san called him over to the school? It was shut on Sundays, unless…maybe Hibari was there too? He was even more curious now.

On the way down the stairs, in his hurry, he slipped and thudded all the way down. "Oof!" He groaned as he lay there. How stupid. Why did he always have to slip when he was in a hurry?! He scoffed as he picked himself up and hurried out the building. Once a klutz, always a klutz. No wonder Nii-chan always called him a stupid herbivore.

So he tried to slow down. But he was too curious so he raced. And fell a few more times. One would think he'd learn his lesson but he could be quite obstinate at times (at all the _wrong_ times). By the time he got to the school, he had multiple bruises on his face, was out of breath, and was limping a little.

He stepped through the gates and heard a whistle. He looked around but saw no one. Everything was deserted. The whistle sounded again, accompanied by a distant "Tsuna, up here!"

He looked up. Dino was standing on the roof, one arm resting above the fence while the other was raised, going to and fro in a vigorous wave. Tsuna smiled and waved back before heading into the building.

It was strange being here when there was nobody else around. Nii-chan was usually really strict about people being here outside of school hours. Was he really here? The boy raced up the stairs that led to the roof and opened the door.

There, he saw a strange scene. Dino and Hibari were there. The former sat at one side of a red and white sheet which had been spread out on the floor. The latter was leaning against the wall, some ways away from the door Tsuna had just emerged from, arms folded across his chest and his expression one of disinterest.

On the sheet was a big basket. "Yo, Tsuna!" Dino greeted.

Tsuna stepped through the doorway. "Good afternoon, Dino-san." He looked at Hibari. "Good afternoon, Nii-chan."

Hibari said nothing.

Dino motioned for the boy to come closer. "Have a seat. We're having a picnic!"

"Um…why?" Tsuna looked down at the basket.

Dino grinned, "Doesn't really have to be a reason, does there? I just wanted to hang out with you, little bro."

Tsuna smiled and sat down. Dino-san was far too concerned with Tsuna. It was almost overwhelming; normally, he never got this much attention. He'd grown used to that so he didn't really know how to respond. "I've already eaten though."

"Doesn't matter. I thought you might like a taste of Italian cuisine so I bought some." The blond man opened the basket and pulled out loads of dishes that Tsuna had never eaten before. He did recognise pasta, though he'd never tasted it before. It was prevalent in many of the dishes. "You might want to familiarise yourself with this kind of food," Dino continued, "Since you'll be going to Italy someday."

Tsuna froze in his inspection. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nii-chan's posture stiffen. He frowned. "Going…to Italy?"

Dino looked like he'd not meant to let that slip. He scratched the back of his head. "Um…don't worry! It won't be right away! You've got ages! And until Kyouya gives consent, you won't have to go anywhere!"

Inexplicable dread filled Tsuna's heart. He'd have to go away. And if Nii-chan gave consent, Dino-san could even take him away right now! But Dino-san had said that he wasn't going to!

Dino's stammering came to a halt as he saw the look on Tsuna's face. His expression softened and he sighed. "I'm not here to take you away from anyone, Tsuna. I said so, didn't I?"

There was a lump in Tsuna's throat. "But…" His eyes wouldn't go back to their normal size. Some time, somehow, he'd have to leave Nii-chan…? But, why? "What…" he cleared his throat when the words came out a little hoarse, "what…do I have to do in Italy? Why…do I have to go there?"

Dino gave him an apologetic grin, "I can't tell you that just yet. I'm just here to assess you."

It was kind of aggravating, not knowing anything. Tsuna sighed. "_Why_ can't you tell me? What is all this?"

Dino ran a hand through his hair, "all I can tell you is that, one day – when you're an adult, of course – you'll go to Italy to work for the family, if you're suitable."

"Suitable…? What? What family?"

"Um…_our_ family. The Vongola."

"And what do they do?"

"That's a secret. But, Kyouya knows."

"Huh?" Tsuna turned his head, surprised, as he glanced at Hibari. Hibari hadn't moved an inch since Tsuna had gotten here. "Nii-chan?"

Hibari kept silent. His head didn't even turn. He was sitting with his hands crossed behind his head, looking up at the clear sky.

"He won't tell you." Dino said.

"Wha-what?" Tsuna stammered. "Why not?"

"Since it's a…um, delicate subject," Dino replied awkwardly, "you're not allowed to know about it until it's deemed that you're suitable for the job."

None of this was making any sense! What job?! What was with this "family"?! Who was Dino, really?! "But…why was I chosen?" the boy asked.

"Because you're a descendant of the family's founder, I told you. Anyway, forget the questions, little bro. I'm sorry but I can't tell you much more than that." Dino started laying out the food again, the easygoing grin back on his face. "Let's eat for now, okay?"

That was when Hibari stood up and left. Tsuna blinked as the door slammed shut. "Nii-chan…?"

Dino chuckled, "I'm surprised he lasted that long."

Question marks appeared around Tsuna's head. "Huh?"

Dino shrugged, "he said he'd allow me to have a picnic here with you, but only if he was there to…um…"supervise"." he laughed. "But I knew he'd get annoyed sooner or later. Three's a crowd, right?"

Tsuna frowned. Was Nii-chan still angry about yesterday? "Did he seem…mad to you?"

Dino scoffed. "Yeah. He doesn't want me hanging around with you."

"But…why?"

He grinned, "Cuz he's protective of you."

Tsuna snorted. "He doesn't care that much about anything."

"Ahaha, I'm sure you're an exception."

"Cuz I have to keep the apartment clean and cook the food?"

"You're not a slave, little bro. He doesn't think of you that way."

Tsuna stared down glumly as Dino passed him a plate and filled it up with some chicken pasta. He didn't think Nii-chan thought of him as a slave either, but he certainly did not think of him as an actual family member, right? That was why he didn't call Tsuna by his name. Never _once_ had Tsuna heard Hibari use his name.

So, where did that leave them? Mere housemates? But it wasn't like they split the rent halfway or anything, and Tsuna got an allowance from Hibari. So, really, he was just a freeloader. How depressing.

"Hey, cheer up, Tsuna." Dino said. "Besides, you don't know what the future holds."

Tsuna gazed at the blond man in puzzlement. "What do you mean, Dino-san?"

Dino waved a dismissive hand. "Just like I said; you don't know what's going to happen in the future. Anyway, let's just eat."

"I'm quite full already, Dino-san."

"Just try a bit anyway."

So Tsuna did, as he tried his best not to let his depressing thoughts get to him.

* * *

Tsuna returned home at around four in the afternoon. He'd been hoping Hibari would be home but the place was empty. He wanted to ask Nii-chan if he might tell Tsuna what this "job" that Dino had mentioned might be.

Since they'd first talked about it before the picnic had begun, Dino hadn't mentioned "the family" and all the other stuff again and Tsuna had doubted he'd get any answers so he'd not brought it up either. Besides, it had been fun talking with Dino about things in general and hanging out. He never usually got to do that so it was kind of refreshing.

Dino was like the perfect older brother; he was caring, he liked to spoil Tsuna, and he pressed him for the littlest details about his everyday life (like who he had a crush on, something which Tsuna had given away with great difficulty and embarrassment). And he always made Tsuna laugh.

Much as Tsuna tried not to think about it, he realised Dino was like the complete opposite of Hibari. Hibari was always apathetic, he never asked if Tsuna needed anything, and he cared for nothing past the boy's grades at school. But Tsuna wasn't too bothered; he'd been living with that attitude for five years now. And he knew Nii-chan cared – at least just a little, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered letting Tsuna stay here. That would have to be good enough.

In the kitchen, he pulled out a thick cookbook from one of the cupboards and sat down at the table. He flipped through the book, wondering what to make for dinner. Nii-chan would probably come back in the evening, so he'd expect the food to be ready.

As he cupped his chin in his palm and looked through the detailed instructions on the page, he began to doze off. He was quite tired. Dino, even though he knew that he was a danger unto all without his men around, had still insisted that they go to a nearby park. He had two sides; sometimes (though Tsuna had witnessed this only a little), he could be extremely mature and complicated while, at other times, he could be fun loving and easygoing.

So, in the park, he'd fallen a lot and dragged Tsuna down with him, leaving the two of them with many bruises. It was exhausting even thinking about it. Not to mention that convincing Dino that that was enough fun for one day had been a chore in itself. But, luckily, he'd felt his phone vibrate and, when he'd looked at the screen, it had said that he'd received several calls. The calls had been from Romario and when he rang the older man back, he'd replied that all the guys were worried and had been searching for him for hours. So Dino and Tsuna had parted ways.

At some point, Tsuna tipped forward. His chin slid off his palm and his head thudded on the table. "AAH…!" He jerked upright, clutching at his forehead. But the cry of pain ended quickly when he realised something.

Hibari was sitting opposite him. "N-Nii-chan!" he cried. "Wh-when did you get here?!"

"A while ago." Hibari replied, impassive as usual.

It really wasn't fair how Hibari managed to sneak up on people but was always aware of others' presences straight away. Tsuna sighed and looked over at the oven clock. It was past five 'o' clock! How long had he slept for, in that weird position?!

He shot up, "I-I'll make dinner."

"Sit down."

He paused. "Huh?"

Hibari gestured at the empty seat. "I said sit down."

Tsuna lowered himself down, now feeling quite puzzled. "I-is something wrong, Nii-chan?"

Hibari gazed at him unblinkingly for a few seconds, "not really."

Tsuna shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. "Then…what is it?"

"Nothing."

Then why did he have to sit here? There was awkward silence – at least, to Tsuna it felt awkward. He looked down at the tabletop to avoid meeting Nii-chan's eye.

"Tell me," Hibari said finally, making Tsuna jump a little, "what's so good about being in the company of that loudmouth herbivore?"

Tsuna frowned. "You mean Dino-san?"

"Hn."

"Dino-san is…like an older brother, I suppose," he shrugged.

Hibari's eyes were shadowed by his fringe. "What was that?"

Tsuna's back stiffened. He had to proceed carefully. Danger lay ahead. But what did he say wrong? "Um…N-Nii-chan asked what's so good about being in Dino-san's company…he treats me like a little brother and it…feels kind of nice…"

"Is there a problem with the way I treat you?"

The question caught the boy off-guard, although Hibari's tone and expression remained blank, giving the younger male not a single indication of what the other was feeling and thinking. "Um…n-not at all." Tsuna stammered. "I-I have a lot to be thankful to Nii-chan for, so…I-I'm fine with however Nii-chan treats me." He felt a bit stupid saying something like that. It sounded like he was asking to be pushed away and treated coldly. But it was true. He couldn't afford to be picky about the way he was treated by this man. "Wh-why would Nii-chan ask that?"

"No reason." Hibari stood up. His eyes were still shadowed. "I'll leave dinner to you. I'm going to go for a walk."

With a puzzled frown, Tsuna complied. "Hai." But, before Hibari could leave the kitchen, Tsuna turned in his seat and called out, "Ano…"

The man turned back. "What is it?"

Tsuna looked down at his hands. "Um…about what Dino-san said…does Nii-chan really know what he was on about…?"

There was silence. He glanced up to see that Hibari was gazing at the door on the other side of the kitchen. But when he noticed that Tsuna was looking at him, turned his gaze on the boy instead. "Yes."

"Then…can I you tell me…please? E-even…a hint…will do…" Tsuna mumbled, looking down once more.

"No." The answer came fast this time. Tsuna glanced up in dismay but Hibari had already exited. The brown-haired boy sighed. So much for that particular hope. He got up and set about making dinner.

* * *

Hibari's tonfa were drawn and one of them bashed into the head of a thuggish boy with short black hair. An aggravated growl escaped Hibari's lips when the boy staggered back but didn't fall over. He lashed out with his tonfa again, this time putting all his strength into the thrust. Of course, the boy went down easily.

Hibari flicked some blood off his weapons and sheathed them. He looked around him. Nine bodies of high school students littered the ground. For all the biting to death he'd just done, his annoyance was still there. Why couldn't he get this irritation out of his system? Because of that damned Bucking Horse, he'd eventually end up unleashing his anger on the clueless herbivore.

Tsuna. He certainly knew Hibari was angry but he was too cowardly to demand why he was being treated like that. Even if he did ask, Hibari would probably bite him to death so it was just as well.

Ever since that damned Cavallone idiot had shown up, Hibari had been angry. Every time he saw that faraway look on Tsuna's face, he felt angry…

Because it wasn't just Dino's presence and his laidback friendly personality but the news that he'd brought which made Hibari feel this way. It had taken him a while to realise it but Hibari had found that he was actually _anxious_.

The first bit of news that Dino had given him had made him anxious and, somehow, Dino knew this and he'd known that Hibari would cooperate easily for the rest of it too. Damn, he'd been played like a fool! Well, it was no big deal really, but he'd been manipulated and he didn't like the feeling. He wanted to find that fool and bite him to death.

But, lucky for that blond imbecile, it was time for dinner. So Hibari turned and made his way home.

But if he heard the name "Dino" one more time today, he really wouldn't be able to hold himself back, whether it was the herbivore who said it or someone else.

He trudged up the stairs when he got into the apartment building. As he opened the door to the apartment, he took in the delicious smell of dinner. Tsuna had gotten really good at cooking these past few years. Sure, he was clumsy as hell but, once he was given a little bit of time, he got into the swing of things.

Tsuna must have heard the door close because he poked his head around the protruding corner of the living room. "Welcome back, Nii-chan!" He smiled.

Hibari took off his shoes and went inside. "Is dinner ready?"

"Hai."

So he went to the kitchen. Tsuna brought the food to the table and they ate. Hibari was thinking about what to do after he'd finished.

There were some reports from the Disciplinary Committee that Kusakabe should have included in the file Hibari brought home earlier so he'd have to read over them. A part of Namimori Junior High was going to undergo some development soon so he'd have to read out the report for that too, along with a bunch of other stuff related to the school. At this rate, he might as well be the principle…well, he kind of was, really…_unofficially_.

He finished eating and stood up. As he was walking to the door, however, he heard the herbivore call out to him.

"Would Nii-chan like some coffee?"

He looked back over his shoulder. Tsuna's eyes were innocent and earnest as he gazed at his benefactor. Hibari nodded once before quickly turning around and striding out…probably to hide the minute, amused smirk curving one corner of his lips. The herbivore was trying to be good. Kind of cute.

Hibari went to the bedroom and, sitting on his bed, he opened the top drawer of his bedside cabinet and pulled out the first file. He crossed his legs on the bed and opened the file and began to read through it.

As usual, Namimori's crime rate was far less than that of the surrounding cities. Namimori was the best, after all. It was his so he had to make sure of that.

Tsuna came in about three minutes later, violet and black striped mug in hand. "Here you go, Nii-chan." He put the mug down on the bedside cabinet but, before he could go, Hibari spoke. "Sit." He didn't look up as he pointed at the foot of his bed.

Tsuna paused for a second, confused, but did as asked. For a while, he just sat at the edge of the mattress, wary, but when Hibari neither said anything nor looked at him, he pulled his legs up and crossed them.

Hibari paused in his inspection of the reports and he picked up his coffee mug. He took a sip of the bitter liquid. He put the mug back down and resumed his "work".

"Ano…" Tsuna mumbled.

Hibari glanced up at him briefly. "What?"

The boy looked a little uncomfortable sitting there. "Is there…anything that Nii-chan needs?"

"What makes you say that?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Nothing."

Hibari went back to the file. He didn't really have a purpose for making Tsuna sit there. There didn't have to be, did there? Once in a while, he liked for Tsuna to be close by. He was concerned for this little herbivore, after all.

The minutes passed by in silence, with the only sounds coming from the regular turning of pages in Hibari's file and Tsuna shifting around to get more comfortable. Hibari occasionally drank his coffee. He was almost at the end of the file. All the statistics and the bigger reports were carved into his mind.

When he finally closed the file, he looked up at the herbivore properly. Tsuna had tipped forward onto the bed. His posture was reminiscent of a dogeza, except his arms were folded under his head and his face was turned to the side. He'd sat there so long he got sleepy? If he'd been feeling that tired, he could have just gotten up and gone.

Hibari felt amused. He put his file away and downed the last of his coffee before sliding further down the bed. He raised his hand to rap his knuckles against Tsuna's temple thrice. "Wake up, herbivore."

Brown eyes opened slowly. But then Tsuna saw Hibari's face and bolted upright. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep!"

Hibari slid off the bed and got to his feet. "It's fine. If you're tired, you should get to sleep."

"H-hai, sorry." Tsuna apologised too much. Hibari didn't really care about half the things the kid did wrong…he just cared about the big things, like failing tests, getting low grades, making noise (like those times when he got surprised and shrieked like a girl), etc. The herbivore should really stop being so…herbivorous.

As Hibari took his mug back to the kitchen, he realised he was in a much better mood.

* * *

Thank you to all who're reading this.

* * *

**Omake** (i.e. crack section that has absolutely nothing to do with the story):

Tsuna was, as usual, zoning out and thinking about Kyoko-chan. They were in homeroom.

Something strange happened though. Actually, two strange "somethings" happened.

Strange thing number one: the teacher announced. "...and today, we have a new transfer student." Following his statement, the door to the classroom opened and a boy walked in.

The second strange something that happened was: as soon as the teacher spoke, something hit the back of Tsuna's head. Well, it wasn't that strange, really. Other students always picked on him. "Waah!" the brown-haired boy cried out as he looked around.

"Ah, Sawada, so you're offering to be the transfer student's partner for his introductory week? That's great!" the teacher said.

"H-huh?" Tsuna faced front.

And nearly died.

As it was, some of his soul broke free and soared up to heaven. Lucky bastard.

Because, standing at the front of the class, beside the teacher's desk, was one pineapple-haired boy with mismatched eyes. Mukuro Rokudo was dressed in the Nami-chuu uniform. He smiled at Tsuna and put his hand up in a wave. "Hi!"

"Hii!" Tsuna shrieked as he shot to his feet, bolted to the nearest open window, and jumped out. "I'LL NEVER HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT CREEP! SOMEONE CALL HIBARI-SAN...!" he yelled as he went. It must have been a long way down.

Gokudera's eyes were wide as he stopped at the window Tsuna had jumped through. His eyebrows quivered as he turned to Mukuro, dynamite in hand. "You just caused Juudaime's death. I'll f***in kill you!"

Yamamoto laughed. "What kind of game is this?"

Gokudera scowled. "It's called "kill the pineapple" game." He lit his dynamite and, much to the horror of everyone in the classroom, he threw them towards Mukuro.

On the school roof, one Kyouya Hibari got to his feet. His tonfa were in his hands as he made his way towards the door. He'd heard Tsuna's shout. Either that or his Mukuro senses were tingling.

* * *

And the rest is up to you :D thanks to Ellis for the idea. But apparently, Mukuro would have nothing to do with Tsuna's school. He likes Japanese school uniforms but he wouldn't wear Nami-chuu's, simply because it's Tsuna's school...at least, I think that's what he said. Got the info from Haru's Haru-Haru Interview a while back. :\


	11. Always Alone

Tsuna tuned out the drone of the maths teacher's voice and gazed out of the window instead. Why did he have to have maths? It was so boring. Wasn't it enough that he'd had to suffer through about four hours of homework for this?

"If you could all get into groups please!" the teacher called out. "We'll go through the homework!"

As usual whenever they had group work, there was a commotion as the students scrambled to sit beside friends. The girls, in particular, all wanted to sit beside the school's baseball champ, Takeshi Yamamoto.

Tsuna gazed over at Kyoko Sasagawa. It'd be nice if he could get paired up with her, but she was already sitting with Hana Kurokawa, her best friend. As usual, no one came near the seat Tsuna was sat at. He turned his attention out of the window again. Nobody in the class said much to him, since he had relations to the Disciplinary Committee. Everyone tried their best to avoid Hibari if they could.

The teachers usually left him alone too but…"Sawada-kun! Are you listening?! Now isn't the time to be spacing out! Please get up!"

Tsuna looked up in surprise. "H-huh?"

The middle-aged man looked confused too. He held a paper in front of him and was peering down at it with curiosity. "Apparently, you're to pair up with Yamamoto for today."

"Eh?!" various girls in the class cried out at the unfairness of it all. But, as they gazed at Tsuna, they didn't say anything.

Tsuna himself was in a bit of a shock. "Wh-why me?" he stammered.

The teacher pushed his glasses further up his nose, still peering down at the paper in his hand. "Just do as I say please, Sawada-kun."

"H-hai…" Tsuna got up and took his stuff over to Yamamoto's table. He looked down at tabletop as he sat down beside the other boy. "H-hi," he muttered uncertainly. Was it really okay for him to be paired up with Yamamoto? He'd never really spoken to this popular boy before.

Takeshi Yamamoto was everything Tsuna was not; athletic, good-looking, and charming. He had a head of short black hair and amber coloured eyes. He always wore a grin. "Yo, Tsuna, right?"

Tsuna was relieved at the friendly greeting. He looked up and attempted a smile, though it came out a little wobbly. To avoid any further awkwardness, he pulled his exercise book forward and flipped through it to the homework exercises he'd done. "L-let's get on with this, ne?"

Yamamoto smiled. "Sure. But you'll have to explain it all to me."

"Huh?" Tsuna stared at the other boy with puzzlement.

Yamamoto laughed. "Maths isn't my best subject. I don't get it at all."

They had a while to go through their answers before sensei asked them to say them out loud, so Tsuna tried his best to explain the work to Yamamoto. The lesson was a long one. But, at least Yamamoto was really easy to get along with.

After that they had lunch. Tsuna packed up his things as Yamamoto was surrounded by his friends. The brown-haired boy walked away.

"Ah, you're going, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked.

Tsuna looked back and smiled. "Yeah. See you later!" He hurried away.

He made his way up the school roof, where he usually had lunch. Most students stayed away from the roof because there was always the possibility that Kyouya Hibari might be up here too. But, during lunch Hibari wasn't to be seen so Tsuna knew he had the place all to himself. Sitting down, he pulled out his food and began to eat.

He didn't see that, from the building directly opposite, he saw being watched by a figure with black hair. Hibari narrowed his gaze.

"Checking up on him? You're such a doting brother." a voice said.

Hibari, almost acting on reflex, pivoted on the heel of his left foot so that he faced the source of the voice, tonfa held at the ready. Above him, on top of the block of concrete that housed the water tank, was Dino.

The Italian grinned as he jumped down. "Why're you spying on Tsuna?"

Hibari didn't lower his weapons. Every time he saw this man, he felt annoyed and wanted to bite him to death. "I think the question here should be "what is an herbivore like you doing in school grounds without permission"."

Dino chuckled and held his hands up in surrender. "Don't attack me, please. I'm just doing my job."

Hibari put his tonfa away. "I don't see how you can do your so-called job when the one you're supposed to be observing is all the way over there."

Dino shrugged, "it's not like I can tail him through school, right? That'd make me a little too conspicuous and Tsuna's already far too suspicious." He sighed as he walked over to stand behind the fence. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat. His gaze was fixed on Tsuna, on the building opposite. "He's alone again, huh?"

Hibari sat down. "As always." He linked his hands behind his head and lay down. He closed his eyes and raised one leg to cross it over the other.

Dino looked down at him. "How come you always come to watch him? You really do care, huh?"

Hibari opened one eye to look up at Dino blankly. He scoffed and then closed it again. "I always come to the roof; it's mere coincidence that he was there also."

Dino snorted. "Yeah right. I arrived here before you. You came just before Tsuna opened that door."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dino rolled his eyes. "Stubborn, aren't you? Just admit you're concerned about your little bro."

"Well, it would be problematic if he died so I guess I am."

"I didn't mean it quite that way, Kyouya. You care that he's always alone. Don't you think you might be the cause of it?"

Hibari didn't respond.

Dino clicked his tongue as he continued to gaze over at the small figure of Tsuna. He breathed out a heavy sigh. "I don't get it; in class, I set it up so he'd get paired up with Takeshi Yamamoto. They hit it off. The two of them should be hanging around now or something…right? Aah…maybe it's too soon to assume they'll become friends just like that."

Hibari made no response.

He was on the verge of sleep when Dino spoke again. "I've been looking for people who can be in his family, ya know? So far, Yamamoto's the only one who caught my eye. He's got a good character. He's good with people. And he has good instincts; the way he plays baseball, it's amazing."

The prefect's brows quivered in annoyance. He was _trying_ to sleep.

"But…I suppose there's still time." Dino grinned to himself. "And Tsuna might get another reliable family member soon."

The small well of patience had run out. Hibari jumped to his feet, tonfa in hand. Dino leapt back, somewhat alarmed. "K-Kyouya?!"

Hibari spun his weapons in his hands. "For disturbing my sleep, talking too much about useless things, and for being in my presence without good reason, you will be bitten to death."

Dino was foolish for not having brought at least Romario with him.

* * *

"We have a new transfer student today." the teacher announced.

They were in homeroom, at the start of another miserable day in school. Tsuna, as usual, was looking out the window.

"This is Hayato Gokudera-kun. He's just come back from studying abroad, in Italy."

The last word caught Tsuna's attention and he looked to the front of the class. _Italy…? Dino-san's homeland?_

The transfer student didn't speak as the teacher pointed out an empty chair that he could sit at. He had grey hair and sea-green eyes. He wore the white school shirt open, with a t-shirt underneath and a dog tag hung around his neck. He looked scary, his features pulled into an angry frown.

All the girls in the class were whispering excitedly among themselves. The transfer student, Gokudera, didn't go towards the seat that the teacher had pointed out. Instead, he walked in Tsuna's direction and stopped before the brown-haired boy's table. His expression darkened even further.

"E-eh…?" Tsuna glanced around, hoping that perhaps the boy was looking at someone else, but that sea-green gaze was definitely resting on Tsuna.

Gokudera kicked his table. Tsuna cried out, backing up as far as he could in his seat. Gokudera then turned in the direction of the desk the teacher had told him to sit at. Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. What had all that been about?

Last period for the day was PE. They were playing baseball today. As per usual, Tsuna was the last to get chosen.

"W-we're saying you guys can have him!" a member of one team was telling the other team. "W-we'll make do like this!"

"N-not at all! We're fine like this! B-but, you guys could use another player, right?" someone from the other team stammered.

"No! That'd be totally unfair to you!"

That was just their way of saying "this guy sucks so please take him out of our hands before insults are thrown around and the Disciplinary Committee gets involved". Tsuna sighed. It wasn't like he'd ask Nii-chan to "take care" of them if they actually said something like that (and Hibari probably wouldn't beat them up on Tsuna's say-so anyway). He knew he sucked; physical education just wasn't his thing.

But then a familiar carefree laugh was heard as Yamamoto came to the front of his team. "Yo, Tsuna!" he called out. "You can be in our team!" He grinned.

"H-huh?" Tsuna stuttered, looking at the boy incredulously. Yamamoto _did_ know that the team Tsuna was on inevitably lost, right?

"It's fine, isn't it?" the black-haired boy said, "just join our team. I mean, it doesn't look like anyone's going to pick you at this rate and I really wanna play." He flashed another grin.

"O-oi, Yamamoto! You're not serious!" another black-haired boy huffed. "Don't you know how…um…you know!" His face flushed and he refused to meet Tsuna's eye. Everyone knew what he meant, though. The unfinished sentence was "how much he sucks?" He didn't want to say it, in case the DC got involved.

"Aw, c'mon; I just have to win, right?" Yamamoto said.

Another boy sighed. "Fine. If Yamamoto says so."

Tsuna couldn't believe it. This had to be the first time anybody had accepted him on a team without the teacher deciding for them.

And then they played. Yamamoto shone, like he always did on the pitch. But Tsuna's "curse" came into effect. Because of him, the other team managed to score so much higher.

_I can't believe we really lost,_ he thought glumly as the other team started to go inside. The loser team had to clean the grounds.

"I can't believe it!" the boys from his team muttered among themselves, shooting angry glances at Tsuna, unaware that he could hear them perfectly, "he's a disaster!"

"Yeah! Any team he's on always loses!"

"That's why I didn't want him on the team!"

"He should be the one to sweep the field, since it's his fault!"

"O-oi, he might hear you!"

Tsuna heaved a sigh and went to get a broom. "I'll…clean up." he said, looking down at the ground, "You guys go on ahead."

The boys stopped speaking to stare at him incredulously. And then they went back to conferring among themselves. "Y-you think he heard us?"

"Don't know. I hope not!"

"A-anyway, let's just go!"

So they all trooped away, leaving Tsuna alone on the pitch. Heaving another sigh, Tsuna started brushing up.

"Help has arrived." a cheery voice said behind him.

He turned and saw Yamamoto walking towards him, also holding a broom. He smiled apologetically, "sorry. It's all my fault…and this was the first time anyone let me into the team willingly and all…"

"Don't worry about it." Yamamoto grinned. "It's just PE."

They started sweeping. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Yamamoto said.

"Hn?" Tsuna looked up briefly before going back to his task. "Sure."

"How come you're always alone?"

The question caught Tsuna off-guard. His arms jerked out a little too fast and too far and, trying to keep his hold on the handle of the brush, his upper body tipped forward and he ended up losing his balance. A pained groan escaped his lips as he fell flat on his face. What a stupid way to fall.

Yamamoto laughed and extended a hand, "you're a funny guy."

Tsuna accepted the offer of help and let himself be hauled to his feet. "Th-thanks." he said as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"So?" Yamamoto pressed. "How come you're always by yourself? I mean, I had a great time talking to you yesterday. I've not enjoyed a maths lesson in a while! You're a pretty safe guy!" He grinned.

Tsuna blushed at the praise. How unusual for him to be talking so casually with someone popular. "Um…thanks. But…I don't…I'm not that great."

"Sure you are! Everybody's scared of your brother so they don't say anything to you but they should give you a chance. I think you're pretty cool."

His blush deepened. Had something been slipped into the drink he'd had at lunch? He must be hearing things, right? Nobody ever had anything good to say about him. It was always "Dame-Tsuna did so and so stupid thing today" or "Dame-Tsuna messed up in PE again" (although they never called him Dame-Tsuna to his face). So where was this coming from?

It was just Yamamoto. Everybody knew he was a really easy guy to get along with. He put the people around him at ease with his laidback personality.

Tsuna chuckled uneasily, "no, the cool one here is you."

"Because I play baseball?"

"Well, yeah; you _are_ really good at it. The best in the school!"

Yamamoto stopped sweeping and his grin slipped. Tsuna looked over and stopped too, frowning in puzzlement. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

"It's supposed to be what I do best," the black-haired boy said. His expression was melancholic.

"Why? What's wrong?" Tsuna said.

Namimori Junior High's baseball star sighed, "I don't know why but, lately, my skills have been declining. No matter how much I practice, my average is dropping and my fielding is screwing up. Tsuna, what should I do?" He looked so lost.

_Y-you're asking me?!_ Tsuna thought, looking incredulous. This had to be a first! "W-well…I don't think I'm the person you should be asking…" he stammered.

"Just kidding." Yamamoto grinned apologetically. "It's just that, you seem like a pretty reliable guy and I just…wanted to get it off my chest…"

It was weird seeing the ever-cheerful baseball star like this. Usually, he was always seen with a grin on his face, joking and laughing with everyone. _I want to help him but…_Tsuna thought. But what could he say? He didn't know anything about this kind of thing! "Um…I guess…more effort is the way to go…?" Wouldn't that make him a hypocrite, saying this kind of thing? He never tried at anything, assured of failure from the start (schoolwork was another matter; a matter of _survival_).

"Yeah."

"Huh?!" Tsuna looked at Yamamoto, confused. Yamamoto agreed?!

Yamamoto put his arm around Tsuna's shoulder, the happy grin back on his face. "Ya know, I thought that was it too! It makes sense, right?"

"R-really?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Yup! So, today, I'm going to remain here and practice like hell!"

Tsuna felt happy he'd said something good.

After they were done sweeping the field, Tsuna left Yamamoto and went back inside. He got changed into his school uniform and packed away his things, got his school bag, and hurried out.

He was about to dash out of the school gates when someone stepped in front of him, barring his way. "Hii!" He took an involuntary step back, eyes wide, afraid.

The new transfer student, Gokudera, glared at the brown-haired boy, a lit cigarette dangling between his lips. "Tch, the family's going to die out if this wimp is going to be the next boss." He scoffed.

"H-huh? F-family…?" Tsuna stammered as he backed away. This guy was trouble. But, more than that, Tsuna got the feeling he was…unhappy. "Wh-what do you want?" he asked.

"I was observing you through the PE lesson. You're pathetic. I won't accept you being the next boss!" Gokudera snapped, two sticks of dynamite appearing in his hand, as if out of nowhere.

Tsuna backed up another few steps, "d-dynamite?!"

Gokudera lit the sticks with his cigarette and threw them at Tsuna. "Wah!" Tsuna cried out as he scrambled back. He barely managed to step out of the range of the explosions that ensued, but tripped over his own feet and fell on his face for the second time that day. How painful.

"You won't escape a second time."

He straightened up quickly when he heard Gokudera's voice behind him. "Wh-what are you doing?!" he cried. "Th-the school…!" If something happened to the school, Nii-chan would be so angry!

"Shut up and die!" Gokudera snapped.

"Hii!" Tsuna scrambled back again. "P-please stop!"

More sticks of dynamite appeared in Gokudera's hands. "You're cowardice is an eyesore. I'll kill you." He threw the sticks.

"AAAH!" Tsuna ran away again.

It was at that moment that Yamamoto came around the nearest corner, the corner that Tsuna was racing towards…the corner that Gokudera threw another handful of dynamite at. The baseball star seemed surprised to see Tsuna, "Tsuna, I heard expl…"

Tsuna's eyes were wide. How many seconds before Yamamoto got hit?! No! Why was that guy here?! He should be in the field, training, right?! This couldn't happen! Tsuna's first friend in a long time and he was going to die at the hands of some insane bomber! Tsuna had to do something! He had to save him!

His desperation hardened into resolution. His eyes took on a crazed look and a flame burned at his forehead. His clothes ripped and he was standing there in only his boxers. "REBORN!" he yelled, hands fisted, "DEFUSE THE DYNAMITE AS IF I WERE TO DIE!" He rushed forward and caught the burning end of a stick of dynamite that was just about to hit the surprised Yamamoto.

"Tsu-Tsuna…?" Yamamoto muttered. But Tsuna ignored him and started putting out the flames on the dynamite as quickly as he could, yelling out "Defuse! Defuse!" as he did so.

Gokudera's surprise at Tsuna's transformation lasted only a second before he scowled once more. He pulled out two handfuls of dynamite. "Double Bomb!" he yelled as he lit them and threw them all in Tsuna's direction.

But Tsuna, with amazing speed, put them all out with his bare hands, still yelling out "Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse!"

Gokudera growled in exasperation as he pulled out even more dynamite sticks. But he couldn't get a firm handle on them and ended up dropping them as they burned. "Crap!" he cried out. The fuses grew shorter… "The end of…me?" the grey-haired boy muttered, frozen to the spot.

Just then, Tsuna put out the bombs closest to Gokudera, and then went on to put out the others around him. "Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse! Defuse!"

Gokudera stared, slack-jawed.

Tsuna worked quickly. When all the dynamite sticks were defused, he sat back. The flame on his forehead died out. He looked around and sighed in relief when he saw that not a single dynamite stick was burning. "Phew! Somehow, I made it!"

"I'm sorry!"

He jumped a little and turned around to see Gokudera on his hands and knees. "E-eh?"

"I'm sorry!" the grey-haired boy repeated. "I was mistaken! You're clearly fit to lead the family! Juudaime, I'll follow you! Command me to do anything!" he looked up with an admiring gaze.

Tsuna was taken aback. "E-eh?! Wh-what're you talking about?! What family?! Lead…family, what is all that…?!"

"Because Juudaime is the next leader of the…!"

"Hey, Tsuna, what's going on?"

Tsuna turned at the sound of Yamamoto's voice. The baseball star was still standing where Tsuna had first seen him. He looked confused. Tsuna got to his feet and hurried over. "I-I'm sorry! I have no idea what's going on! Um…y-you probably got distracted from your practice, right?"

Yamamoto grinned, "actually, that just now was pretty awesome, Tsuna!"

Redness streaked across Tsuna's cheeks and he looked away, unsure of what to say. "Um…ah, well…uh…g-good luck with practice!"

"Yeah! Thanks, Tsuna!" Yamamoto's grin went even wider. "You just motivated me to try even harder!" He turned and walked off. "Seeya!"

"Aah, later!"

Tsuna sighed and turned back to Gokudera. But there was another person standing next to the transfer student. "D-Dino-san!" Tsuna exclaimed as he went up to the man.

"Yo, Tsuna." Dino grinned. "I see you've met Smokin Bomb Hayato already."

Tsuna frowned. "Smokin Bomb?"

"Yeah, that's what he's known as back at home."

Tsuna blinked. "Um…so, you guys know one another?"

"Actually, this is the first time we've met. He's from one of the…uh…subdivisions of the Vongola." Dino said.

"So, you're related?"

Dino paused a while, "Um…I guess so…"

Gokudera scoffed. "Why are you here, Bucking Horse?"

"Reborn's currently busy helping the Ninth with some important matter so I came in his place."

The Ninth? Tsuna's frown deepened. Gokudera had called him Juudaime before…

"But why _you_?" Gokudera continued, sounding pissed off. "Tch, there's so many better choices."

"Oi, oi, don't make me mad, brat." Dino huffed. "I'm not in a particularly good mood today."

Gokudera snorted. "I don't see your men around; what're you gonna do?"

Tsuna spoke up, "p-please don't fight! Can you guys answer my questions? Why…were you guys sent here? What does this family do? Why am I the tenth boss?"

Dino looked down disapprovingly at Gokudera. "You said too much, didn't you, Smokin Bomb?"

Gokudera looked away.

Dino sighed. "If everything goes as planned, you won't have anything to worry about, Tsuna." He said. He raised a hand to Tsuna's head and ruffled his hair. "So just bear with me a while longer, little bro."

Tsuna's expression was one of unhappiness. "When will you tell me?"

Dino smiled. "Soon. Real soon, I promise."

As usual, Tsuna was far too trusting. He sighed and nodded. "Hai."

"So, you guys want a lift home?" the blond man asked.

Tsuna looked down at his attire. He was dressed in only his boxers. His face heated up. "Y-yes, please!"

"If Juudaime says so, then I will too!" Gokudera said, fist raised in the air.

"Um…just Tsuna will do, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna stammered.

Gokudera's eyes narrowed, "absolutely not."

_Too scared to refuse!_ Tsuna thought, frozen to the spot. "O-okay."

Dino walked towards the gates. "C'mon, brats. Let's go."

Tsuna went to pick up his school bag and followed, Gokudera right behind him. Dino's red sports car was stationed outside and Romario was sitting at the wheel. Dino slipped into the front passenger seat and Gokudera opened the back door and held it open for Tsuna. "Th-thank you, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said as he sat inside and budged up. He greeted Romario.

"So, who's first?" Dino asked.

"Who's house is nearer?" Tsuna asked.

"That'd be yours, I believe," the blond man responded.

"Awesome, can I see where Juudaime lives?" Gokudera asked gleefully.

Tsuna froze. "Um…Nii-chan has a rule…n-nobody's allowed to come inside."

Gokudera's face fell. Tsuna waved his hands around, "a-ah, th-the thing is…people crowding really annoys him and…it's not really my house so…" He looked to Dino for help, hoping Gokudera wouldn't suddenly beat him up.

Dino sighed, "Kyouya doesn't like anyone aside from Tsuna stepping into his apartment, I'm afraid."

Gokudera frowned, "Juudaime doesn't live with his parents?"

There was a tense silence. Gokudera looked confused. Tsuna explained as he looked out the window. "My parents died a few years ago."

More silence followed his statement. And then…

"I'm so sorry, Juudaime! I didn't know!" Gokudera cried. When Tsuna turned around, he saw Gokudera sitting up on the seat, on his hands and knees.

"A-ah, no, it's okay!" Tsuna said, waving his hands around. "Gokudera-kun didn't know!"

"But, Juudaime…!"

He smiled a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Gokudera-kun." Gokudera's sea-green eyes were tortured. Tsuna sighed. "Really, it's fine."

The rest of the ride went by in silence. They soon arrived at the apartment building and Tsuna got out. "Thank you, Dino-san, Romario-san! See you tomorrow, Gokudera-kun!" He gave them a quick wave before he rushed into the building, feeling embarrassed.

Tanaka-san, the polite elderly lady who lived in the apartment on the left, on the first floor, had just left her apartment and closed the door behind her. She stopped. Tsuna flushed in embarrassment. "G-good afternoon, Tanaka-san."

She blinked. "Tsunayoshi-kun, is everything all right?" She looked down at his boxers.

Tsuna forced out a laugh, "Um…I just went swimming, you see."

Her face lit up with understanding. "Oh, that's how it is." She smiled. "How is Kyouya-kun? It's been a while since I've seen him. Is he well?"

"Hai, Nii-chan is doing fine."

"That's good. Well, take care of yourself now, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Hai. I'll see you later, Tanaka-san." Tsuna smiled as the lady walked past him. He sighed and headed up the stairs, feeling tired and very much confused.

* * *

Er...yeah, not really relevant to the story at all...well, it kind of is, seeing as how Tsuna's a little closer to the truth. But this story's predominantly about the brotherhood of Tsuna and Hibari :)

* * *

**Omake **(crack section)**: **

Vongola Decimo smiled as the door of his study opened.

"Juudaime, you wanted to see me?" his right-hand man said as he walked up to the desk.

Tsuna nodded, still smiling. "Have I introduced you to my pet rat?"

Gokudera frowned. "Rat?"

The boss nodded again. He reached down and lifted a cage and put it on his desk. He held up a marker. "I drew the scars myself."

The rat was white, with crimson-coloured eyed. On its body were a few jagged, reddish-purple scars. From one ear hung a red racoon tail feather...thing. Tsuna grinned. "I named it Xanxus the Second."

Gokudera blinked. "Xanxus...?" He clamped a hand over his mouth as he started to snigger. "Nice, Juudaime!"

Tsunayoshi's grin widened. He reached down and lifted another cage and put it next to the first one. "I call this one Squalo the Second."

This one was also white. It had a...wig. A long white wig. And a little fake sword attached to one of its limbs. Gokudera laughed. "Any more?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Bel the Second, Mammon the Second, Lussuria the Second, Levi the Second, and Moska the Second were only ordered yesterday so it'll take a while for them to be delivered. What do you think? I'm thinking I should have a little house thing built for them. We can call it the Varia Base. Ooh, and each of my Guardians has to look after one! It'll be a good lesson in pet-keeping."

The colour drained from Gokudera's face. "I-is that...necessary?"

"Absolutely!" Tsuna said with fervour. "You never know when these lessons might come in handy."

* * *

**EDIT:** I took out the other omake. I can't be asked writing that mini-story. I don't even know where it's going :\


	12. Do It with Dying Will

"Guys, it's terrible!" a boy yelled as he slammed the door of the classroom back. "It's Yamamoto! He's going to jump from the roof!"

Everybody, including Tsuna, stopped what they were doing. "Yamamoto from our class?" one boy asked.

"Him? No way! Don't joke about stuff like that," another boy said, trying to laugh it off.

"I'm serious!" the boy in the doorway cried. "Yesterday, he stayed after school to practice and went too far and broke his arm!"

The conversation he'd had with Yamamoto yesterday replayed in Tsuna's mind. _No way!_ he thought with disbelief. _Is…is this my fault?!_

There were various cries of horror. The boy in the doorway said, "Anyway, let's go to the roof!"

"Yeah!" his classmates cried as they abandoned what they were doing and headed out the door.

The class cleared out. Tsuna was still frozen in shock. One of his friends was in trouble!

He shook his head. What was he standing around so calmly for?! He had to go and see!

He rushed out of the classroom. What had he done?! Was this really his fault?! If he'd not told Yamamoto that effort was the answer, Yamamoto would have gone home and he wouldn't have broken his arm!

The brown-haired boy went up to the roof, where the whole class had gathered. He hid behind the wall beside the door, hyperventilating. What should he do?! He shouldn't have said what he'd said! He couldn't face Yamamoto!

He could see the baseball star standing at the very edge of the roof, beyond the fence, one arm bound in a cast.

"Yamamoto, get down from there!" someone from the front of the crowd cried out.

"What're you doing?! You'll really fall!"

"Yamamoto, this isn't funny! You're taking it too far!" the cries of their classmates were desperate.

Yamamoto smiled, but it was a melancholic gesture. "That's not true. I can't even play baseball anymore. I have nothing left."

"No way!" a boy from the class cried.

"He's serious!"

Tsuna had to do something! It was his fault Yamamoto was in this mess so he had to get the black-haired boy out of it safely! If Yamamoto really jumped, Tsuna would never be able to live with himself!

Taking in a deep breath, Tsuna stood up and charged through the crowd and, tripping over his own feet, he bashed into someone, knocking them aside. "Ow…" he landed on his rear. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was at the very front of the crowd, between where Yamamoto stood and the rest of his class.

"Tsuna…" Yamamoto muttered. He was standing so close to the edge it made Tsuna's stomach twist in fear just by looking. Just one little misstep and the other boy would fall over the edge…it was a three storey building!

"If you came to stop me, it's no use." Yamamoto declared. "You should be able to understand my feelings."

"Huh?"

"For someone who's called Dame-Tsuna all the time, you should understand the feeling of preferring to die over failing at everything, right?"

Tsuna stared with wide eyes. Preferring to die over failing at everything? "N-no…I'm not like that," he muttered.

Yamamoto's brow quivered. "So, even Dame-Tsuna's a better student than me."

"N-no, that's not it!" Tsuna cried, waving his hands around to ward off the incorrect assumption. "Unlike you, I've never put effort into a single thing! The only reason I bother to do homework is cuz Nii-chan would get angry if I didn't! I arrogantly told you about effort and stuff but that was a lie!" He bowed his head, eyes screwed shut tight. "I'm sorry! Saying you're so frustrated that you want to die, or you want to die because of a career-ending accident…unlike you, I've never had those kinds of intense thoughts. If I were to die, I'd have regrets. I'm too much of a coward to take my own life. I've never felt that way about anything…"

The whole class was silent, staring at his back, some of them slack-jawed. Tsuna looked down at the ground. "So…I can't understand your feelings…I'm sorry." Knowing that he'd get rebuked and laughed at if he stayed, he turned around and made to run off. "Later!"

"Wait, Tsuna."

He was yanked back as Yamamoto took hold of his shirt. Tsuna cried out and stumbled back, colliding against the fence. It gave under his weight and broke. He fell against Yamamoto. Both he and the baseball star were sent into the air and then began to plummet.

Tears streamed out as the rush of air stung Tsuna's eyes. He looked down at Yamamoto falling before him. He was such an idiot! What had he done?! He had to do something! If only he could do something! There was pain in his heart, resulting from his fear of dying, of Yamamoto dying, of having put Yamamoto in this stupid situation, of losing the only friend he'd ever come close to making. Genuine tears were emerging out of his eyes. He had to protect Yamamoto! This was his fault! _He had to do something!_

Something within him responded to his resolve. A flame ignited upon his forehead and his eyebrows came together at a steep slant. His clothes ripped and scattered into dust, leaving him in only his boxers as power radiated off his being.

"MIDAIR REBORN!" he yelled. "SAVE YAMAMOTO WITH MY DYING WILL!" Hands fisted, he kicked out his legs and found purchase on the vertical wall and ran down it. He raced towards Yamamoto, a harsh cry breaking out of his throat.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto cried out.

Tsuna caught the black-haired boy. "CAN'T STOP!" he yelled. He was approaching the ground so he kicked off from the wall as hard as he could (leaving a crater in the building material) and became airborne. The ground loomed even closer. He landed hard enough to leave a crack in the concrete.

He put Yamamoto down and fell back. The flame went out. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Yamamoto, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." the black-haired boy responded. "Tsuna, you're amazing!"

"Eh?!"

"Just like you said, have to do it with Dying Will." Yamamoto smiled, though it was still a poor rendition of his usual carefree grin. He looked apologetic, "I don't know what I was thinking. Nothing good came from this idiocy."

"Yamamoto…!" Tsuna smiled, relieved. At least the other boy wouldn't try to attempt the jump again.

That was when Tsuna made his first proper friend.

From the roof of the gym, Dino put down a pair of binoculars. He grinned. Mission accomplished. Tsuna was definitely fit for the role.

* * *

"He wasn't alone at lunchtime today. I've reported back to Reborn in Italy that Tsuna's fit for the position. I'll have to tell him soon."

Hibari didn't look like he was listening to Dino as he rocked back onto the hind legs of the chair. But he was.

The three of them (Hibari, Dino, and Romario) were in the Reception Room and school was almost out.

"It was the third time that I saw him go into that Dying Will Mode. It was pretty impressive. I'm definite that he's suited for the role. But…I'm wondering how I should tell him." Dino sighed. "The day we went to the amusement park, he got scared of my subordinates. He told me later that he thought they looked like they'd come right out of a mafia movie." He snorted.

Hibari was pensive. He looked up at the ceiling of the room. If Dino told the herbivore about _that_, then, for sure, Tsuna would…

He got to his feet and walked out. "Oi, Kyouya…!" Dino called out after him, but he didn't follow.

Hibari roamed around the school. Since it was almost home time, the students would start to crowd around and he'd have to break up those groups. He was feeling very aggravated.

Bucking Horse wanted to tell Tsuna everything. There were a number of reasons why Hibari didn't want that to happen. He wasn't bothered about most of it but there was one particular bit of information that he knew would hurt the herbivore a lot.

As unconcerned as he let himself appear to Tsuna, he did care about the kid's mental wellbeing. That was why he didn't want Tsuna to hear that certain bit of news.

Long after school was out and everyone had cleared off, he locked up and set out to do his patrols. But there was something gnawing at his insides. What if the Bucking Horse went to the apartment while Hibari was out? He could tell Tsuna and Hibari wouldn't be able to stop him.

He fished out his phone and rang home. Tsuna answered on the fourth ring. "Moshi moshi?" he said cautiously.

"Is the Bucking Horse there?" Hibari asked.

"Nii-chan!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Um…Dino-san is here, why?"

Hibari gritted his teeth tightly. Hadn't he already said nobody could go into the apartment without his consent? What the hell was Bucking Horse doing over there?! "Give it to him."

"O-ok. Just a moment." Padding footsteps. "Dino-san, Nii-chan wants to talk to you."

"Eh? Me?" Dino asked. When he spoke next, his voice was a lot closer, "Kyouya?"

"I'm going to bite you to death when I see you if you don't get out of there right now." Hibari said evenly.

"E-eh?" Dino stammered. "Quit being so scary. Besides, it's about time I spilled."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. Don't tell him now."

"Why not?" Dino asked, sounding confused.

"Because I said so. Wait for the weekend." Hibari said.

Dino sighed. "You're not making any sense. What's the use waiting for the weekend? The sooner he knows, the bet…"

"I _said_ wait for the weekend." He snapped the device shut and pocketed it.

He couldn't trust Bucking Horse to heed his words so he'd have to go over there and make sure. If and when Dino told the truth, he'd tell the whole truth. He was big on Tsuna's "rights". Well, screw those rights! Hibari was the herbivore's guardian. He would be the one to decide when and how those damned rights came into play.

He got home as quickly as he could without actually running. Twenty minutes. Dino's car was parked outside.

He went inside. Upstairs, he opened the door of the apartment and stepped in. There was just one pair of extra shoes there, which meant Dino had come alone.

"Nii-chan!" he heard Tsuna call out as the herbivore's head popped around the living room door. He smiled. "Okaeri nasai."

Hibari took his shoes off and stepped up and went to the living room. Tsuna and Dino were sitting on the couch, watching TV.

Tsuna moved up as Hibari came in and the black-haired man sat down. "What's going on?" he asked, looking specifically at Dino.

Dino sighed. "Nothing."

Hibari held his gaze for a while before settling back into the couch. "Good."

Tsuna turned to Hibari. "Why is Nii-chan home so early?"

"Are you questioning me?"

"N-not at all!" the boy stammered.

"Go make me some coffee."

He stood up. "Hai. Would Dino-san like some too?"

"No." Hibari answered before Dino could even open his mouth. "Bucking Horse will be leaving."

"Eh?" Dino looked at the younger man glumly. "You're telling your guest to leave, just like that? You have no manners."

"I think the unmannered one here is you." Hibari said nonchalantly as he raised his legs to the table and crossed one over the other. "It's not very polite coming to another's home without being invited."

Dino groaned and got to his feet. "Fine. I'm going." He smiled at Tsuna as he passed by the boy, who had stopped at the door. "Take care of yourself, Tsuna. I'll see you…sometime." He cast one glance back at Hibari as he said this.

Hibari said nothing in response to that.

"Oh…okay, Dino-san." Tsuna said, sounding puzzled. "See you later."

* * *

Tsuna was glum. He'd put the vegetables to steam for dinner and was sitting at the kitchen table, poring over the cookbook. It was Friday today and, in two days, it was Nii-chan's birthday. Since he'd slowly become more efficient in the kitchen, he'd tried his best to make something special for the day of May 5th, though the gesture went widely unappreciated.

He'd actually found out the date of Hibari's birthday due to Tanaka-san downstairs, three years ago. She got Hibari a gift every year. The two boys had been on their way to school in the morning. It had seemed like the old lady had been waiting by the stairs to meet Hibari. Nii-chan seemed to have been expecting something like this, since he stopped.

"_Good morning, dears." the old lady greeted. _

"_Good morning, Tanaka-san." Hibari returned with the slightest bow of the head. _

_Having never seen the two of them converse before, Tsuna was a little surprised that his Nii-chan gave the old lady such a polite greeting. Actually, Tsuna had never seen him talking with elderly people at all before. _

_Tanaka-san smiled and held up a box. It was wrapped in black paper and had a purple bow tied at the top. "Happy birthday, Kyouya-kun." _

_Tsuna stared between his Nii-chan and the old lady in wonder. Hibari took the box. "Thank you." _

"_Have a nice day." she said before turning around and going back to her door. Hibari didn't move a muscle until she'd gone in and closed the door behind her. He then turned and walked out of the building. _

"_Nii-chan?" Tsuna asked, hurrying to catch up. _

_Hibari made no response. The little black box in his hand was clutched tight. Tsuna frowned. "Is it really Nii-chan's birthday?" _

_Hibari still didn't reply. _

Tsuna sighed. In his first year at Hibari's apartment, Tanaka-san had been in hospital because of an illness (Tsuna met her long after he'd moved in). The second year, she'd been away at her daughter's place or something (although, as with the first year, she'd given her gift a while later, though Tsuna hadn't seen it at the time).

He always wondered what Tanaka-san's relationship with Hibari was, but he'd learnt not to ask since Nii-chan never gave an answer. It always made him realise that there wasn't really a lot he knew about Hibari, except the man's favourite choice of foods, his favourite TV programmes (documentaries to do with animals), his favourite style of casual clothes (mostly black, which fit in the category of smart-casual), and favourite colours (black and purple, though mostly the former).

But he'd learnt to live with it. It wasn't like it was important what kind of past Nii-chan had had to be living in an apartment alone even though he was barely of legal age. Tsuna had decided long ago that he'd take whatever Nii-chan gave him (or didn't give him) and live with it, since he didn't have the right to complain.

He paused at a page showing an illustration of a delicious-looking chocolate cake. For a second, he entertained the idea of making it. But he quickly shoved the thought away; he really wasn't good with chocolate. He'd tried baking chocolate muffins some time back (since the picture in the recipe had looked _really_ tasty and he'd wanted to eat some), but the end result had been disgusting masses of dark brown, three-quarters burnt rocks (he'd seriously thought he'd lost a tooth when he'd tried to bite into one of them).

He sighed and flipped the page. Strawberry cheesecake? Nah. He flipped the page again. Sponge sandwich? Too simple.

He was looking at a picture of cookies when he heard the front door closing. He looked over at the oven clock. 19:09. He shut the book and got up and left the kitchen. "Okaeri nasai, Nii-chan." he greeted as Hibari padded over to the living room.

"Is dinner ready?" the man asked by way of response.

"Almost." Tsuna replied.

"Call me when it's done."

"Hai."

Nii-chan would have a brief nap now. Tsuna retreated back to the kitchen and went to check on the progress of dinner.

As they were eating, a while later, the phone rang. Hibari did not look pleased. He made no move to get up. Tsuna tried to ignore the ringing. Hibari sighed, trying to hold back his exasperation. "Go answer it. It's probably for you."

Tsuna frowned, "Eh?"

"Just go."

"H-hai." He got up and went to the hallway and picked up the wall-mounted device. "H-hello?"

"Hey, Tsuna!" Dino said from the other end.

"Dino-san!" Tsuna exclaimed cheerily.

"Been a while, little bro." Dino said. "You doing anything tomorrow? There's…something I want to tell you."

Tsuna frowned. There was something he had to be told? His eyes widened. Could it be…?! Whatever it was that Dino-san had been keeping from him…? "Um…I should be free."

"Great. Wanna go to the town or something?"

"Um…I need to shop for stuff so…maybe then?" Tsuna asked eagerly.

"That should do. What time?"

"Ah…I'm going to go shopping around eleven."

"All right, I'll meet you at the front of the mall around twelve then, is that okay?"

"Hai, that's fine."

"Ok, I'll see you then. Good night, Tsuna."

"Good night, Dino-san." Tsuna put the phone down, suddenly grinning. Tomorrow should bring with it some enlightenment. He hopped back to the kitchen and sat down.

Hibari waited until Tsuna had finished eating before he spoke. "What did Bucking Horse say?"

"Dino-san wants to talk to me." Tsuna replied as he picked up the dishes. He started washing them, his back to Hibari.

"I'm coming too."

"E-eh?" He dropped the dish he was holding. He looked over his shoulder.

Hibari's steely gaze narrowed, "is that a problem?"

"N-no problem!" Tsuna responded as he turned hurriedly to the dishes. Hibari walked out of the room and the boy relaxed. He was a little surprised. Was what Dino-san wanted to tell him something that was of concern to Nii-chan? Was it…something bad?

He sighed and continued with his task. Only tomorrow would tell.

* * *

I was trying to think of others ways for him to get introduced to Yamamoto, but it didn't work :\ I mean, apparently, Yamamoto's most precious memory or whatever is when TSuna saved him so...yeh, it just wouldn't be the same otherwise.

* * *

**Omake: **

Hibari surveyed the damage. That damn little brat had wrecked school property…he'd done it yesterday too! This was unforgiveable! He would bite that little herbivore to death…never mind the fact that a twelve-year-old leaving holes in stonework with his _bare feet_ was kind of incredible.

He got out his tonfa, ready to charge into the school building and seek Tsuna out to administer the appropriate punishment.

"W-whoa, Kyouya!" Dino held him back. "You're not going to bite your kid brother to death, are you?"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at the blond man. "Of course. Anyone who would dare wreck the school building shall be punished."

"Even though he's your kid brother?"

"Family doesn't matter in these sorts of things." Hibari said, shaking Dino off and walking towards the entrance.

"W-wait! I'll pay for the repairs, okay?" Dino called out, going after him.

Hibari stopped. He turned to look at Dino. "Ok." He wandered off.

Dino stared after him blankly. "Well, that was…easy."

* * *

Last chapter's omake was deleted and replaced with another one, if anyone's interested. I was thinking of making a separate fic for the mini-story, as per BlackRaven1412BR's suggestion, though it will probably be a one-shot. I'll start work on that as soon as possible...


	13. The Truth

"Wh-what?! What're you saying, Dino-san?!"

Hibari's brow quivered in annoyance. He really didn't like this situation. The three of them – well four, including the silent Romario who was standing some ways behind Dino – were seated outside an ice cream parlour. Tsuna had gone shopping already and the bags were scattered around his chair.

Dino shrugged, "it's true. The Vongola Famiglia is one of the most powerful families in the mafia. And you're the next heir."

Tsuna looked unhappy. He turned to Hibari with a disbelieving gaze. "N-Nii-chan should tell Dino-san, right? I can't be a mafia boss!"

Hibari stared at Dino unblinkingly. "I don't particularly care."

"Eh?!" Tsuna exclaimed, clearly not expecting such a response. "B-but, Nii-chan! Sh-shouldn't you be against it?!"

"Why?"

"Be-because…i-it's the mafia and…and I don't want to be a mafia boss!"

Dino sighed. "C'mon, Tsuna! It's not so bad. You know, I used to be like you too. My old man was the ninth head of the Cavallone Famiglia and, when he died, I didn't want to take on the position of the tenth boss but it's probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

Something seemed to occur to Tsuna then, because the boy froze. He slowly turned his head to gaze at Dino, "did-did my dad know about all this? You mentioned having met him a few times so I guess he knew who you were? And you even said he did odd jobs for the family so…"

Dino looked over at Hibari. Tsuna followed his gaze and looked at his guardian too. "Wh-why are you guys looking like that? Is there something I need to know…?" He turned back to Dino. "Dino-san, please tell me."  
"Kyouya told me not to." Dino responded.

Tsuna turned to Hibari again. His brown eyes were pleading. "Please…if there's…something I should know…if it's about my dad…please tell me…"

"I've got places to be." Hibari said as he got to his feet.

Tsuna blinked. "Eh? But…Nii-chan…"

"I don't have time for your pointless questions." the young man said as he pushed his chair in and turned away.

"Oi, Kyouya, should you really…?" Dino began.  
"Be quiet." Hibari cut over him, dull blue eyes cold as he gazed over his shoulder. He stopped walking when he looked at Tsuna.

The boy's shoulders were shaking. His head was bowed, his eyes shadowed by his fringe. "I…" he began, "I…I want to know what's going on! Please tell me! My parents are involved in this! Are they really part of the mafia?! I want to know about my family! Nii-chan doesn't have the right to keep that sort of information from me!"

It was a good thing the outside of the parlour was pretty empty right now. A few passing people did look at the boy curiously, though they quickly turned away when they saw Hibari.

Hibari turned back. This was the first time in a long time that Tsuna had dared raise his voice against him. The black-haired man looked down at the boy, his face blank. "I'll be the one to decide what my rights are." he said quietly, his voice almost a hiss. "If you cause anymore commotion, I will make it so that you can never use that tongue of yours again."

Tsuna stiffened. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Hibari still couldn't see his eyes but tears rolled down his cheeks.

Seeing this, Dino couldn't keep quiet. "What're you being like that for, Kyouya? He's only a kid! Don't be so harsh! And he _should_ know!"

"I said keep quiet, didn't I?" Hibari said, anger now easily detectable in his voice as he turned his icy gaze on the blond man instead. "I'll decide what he's told or not told."

Tsuna stood up, his back stiff, and stepped over the shopping bags and ran off. "F-fine…I'm going home." Hibari made no move to stop him, though Dino called after him.

"Leave me alone!" the boy yelled out. "Please!"

The blond man sighed. "You're an ass."

"Shut up." Hibari didn't disagree though. He sat down again. The herbivore could hate him. He didn't care. While he was the herbivore's legal guardian, though, he wouldn't let anyone take Tsuna away. That's why he was so bothered about…

Perhaps his feelings were written on his face because Dino's next words hit somewhere around the mark, "you're worried, aren't you? You're worried he'll leave. That's why you don't want to tell him."

"Hn. Don't be ridiculous." Hibari scoffed.

Dino ignored him. "You needn't feel like that. Tsuna doesn't want to leave. Tch, he's worried you'll give permission for him to be taken away from you."

Hibari frowned. "What're you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Kyouya. You don't want him to leave so you better tell him that before he decides that he's being a burden on you and goes away by himself." Dino let out an exasperated sigh. "He's a fragile kid. If you don't treat him right, he's going to break."

Hibari took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. He didn't know what to say. He was angry at Dino for coming here. He was angry at the herbivore for making a big deal out of things. He was angry at himself for being an ass. He was worried about the herbivore's wellbeing. He was concerned about the kid's future. All these accumulated feelings were starting to get him depressed and depression was _really_ not suited for his nature.

"I'm going after him." Dino said as he stood up.

Perhaps that would have been best, but Hibari couldn't bring himself to let someone else go to _his_ little brother when the herbivore was distressed. "No."

Dino paused. "Eh?"

"I'm telling you to stay put." Hibari said. "The herbivore is my responsibility."

Dino's brow quivered. "Then what're you sitting around so calmly for?! Go after him!" He took in a deep breath and sat back down. "Look, Kyouya," he began slowly, "I understand that you thought your past and his were much alike but you have to realise that while you had no one, he _does_ have someone. _You_. So before his trust is broken into little pieces and his childhood gets wrecked and he turns into a carbon copy of you, go and show him what big brothers are there for."

Hibari should have felt some indignation at that but, strangely, he felt guilt instead. It was true…he'd lost his parents when he'd been around the age Tsuna had been when he'd lost his folks. But he'd not had anyone to look out for him, to see if he was all right, so he'd forsaken his childhood in order to strengthen his will, to not rely on anyone.

He'd always thought he wouldn't have preferred it any other way, and that living like that was best. But, thinking about whether he really wanted Tsuna to grow up like that, he realised it wasn't the case. There were certain things when it came to Tsuna that had come to mean a great deal to Hibari, and they would disappear if the boy lost faith in the one person he'd leant on for support all these years. The first and foremost of which was that bright, innocent expression of his, the thing that made him an herbivore.

Hibari exhaled deeply. How tiring. He got to his feet. "You should mind your own business now." he said quietly, though his tone wasn't so much angry as exhausted.

"No way." Dino harrumphed. "While I'm still here on this assignment, I have to make sure my little bro's all right."

Hibari growled but didn't pursue the subject.

He stood up and left without another word. He took off in the direction of home, after Tsuna. Since Tsuna had a bit of a head start, Hibari ran to catch up. A few seconds later, as he turned a sharp corner, he saw Tsuna tearing down the street as fast as he could…which wasn't very fast. He tripped, fell, got up, ran, tripped again, rose to his feet, and began to run once more. How pitiful.

"Herbivore." Hibari called out.

Tsuna gazed back over his shoulder. If Hibari didn't know any better, he'd have said the herbivore sped up as he faced front again. Hibari scoffed and began to run again. He caught up in a flash, hand snapping out taking a firm hold of the back of the boy's hoody.

Tsuna made a choking sound as he was jerked back so Hibari let go. "Don't make me repeat myself." he said. "If I say something, I expect you to listen the first time."

Tsuna made no response. His eyes were once again shadowed by his fringe and he refused to look up at his Nii-chan. "D-did I do something wrong?" he mumbled.

Why would he assume that? Hibari took his time answering. "No." It took a lot of effort to get the next words out. "If you…want to know…I'll tell you." He had to force himself to remain calm.

Tsuna looked up, his expression one of confusion. Hibari saw that his eyes were red. Really, how pathetic. As if sensing this thought, Tsuna wiped at them and looked away. "What is it?"

Hibari heaved a deep sigh. The information would bring change into this home. He didn't like change. Change meant the shifting of ideas, the switching of beliefs. Change brought with it new ways of thinking…new ways of life. He didn't want anything that he had at this point in time to change.

"Your parents," he said quietly, his cold blue eyes boring into pained brown ones, watching as Tsuna's expression changed from one of confusion into one of shock, "they're alive."

* * *

Dino sighed. Well, that was it, judging from Tsuna's stillness and shocked expression. Everything was out in the open. He slowed down as he watched the two young ones. Some ways behind him, he heard his car pull up. He turned and gestured for Romario to wait there and went back to observing the two ahead of him.

No mouths moved after Hibari's statement. Tsuna's eyes were impossibly wide. Dino quickened his pace.

Tsuna tried to speak but no words would come so he just stared at his Nii-chan unblinkingly. After a while, Hibari turned without another word and walked in Dino's direction.

He paused when he saw Dino. Dull, blank blue eyes bore into the Italian's but, the younger man passed by without a word.

Dino walked over to Tsuna. The boy looked up at him, eyes still wide. He opened his mouth but it took a few tries to get the words to come, "is-is…is…that…are they really…are…?" even then, his attempt at questioning fell short.

Dino slung an arm around his shoulder. "Let's just get you back home for now, okay?"

Tsuna nodded mutely, looking like he was in a bit of a daze. Dino led him back to the car and climbed into the back with him. He didn't speak. Dino turned to Romario. "You get the shopping, Romario?"

"Yes boss." Romario replied.

Dino nodded. The following silence was uncomfortable on the two men, although Romario was more focused on the road instead of the stunned boy in the backseat. Dino wondered if there might be any ways to kick-start a conversation.

But he didn't have to. Tsuna turned his head to look up at him. "I-is it…really true…?"

Dino sighed and nodded once. "It's true. I'm sorry, Tsuna. For not telling you before."

Tears came to the boy's eyes. "I…but…I don't…" A sob broke past his lips and he quickly looked away and wiped at his tears. "Wh-what should I do? How should I react…?"

He looked so vulnerable. Dino felt a tug at his heart. He'd thought so before but this kid reminded him of himself in a lot of ways. He slung an arm around the boy's shoulder. "If you want to cry, Tsuna, I won't think badly of you for it." he muttered.

At that, Tsuna collapsed against him. Dino brought the hand of his other arm around and held the boy's head close. And that was when Tsuna cried properly. He let it all out and, for the first time in a long time, someone was there to comfort him.

Dino really didn't think badly of the kid for it. He was only a child, after all. When Dino himself had been a child, after the death of his father, he'd felt like he was shouldering a life that he'd never wanted any part of, that he was all alone, that everything had lacked purpose. That was when Iemitsu had come. Iemitsu had comforted him like he was his own son. Dino was repaying the favour now.

A few minutes passed. Romario parked the car outside Hibari's apartment building but they stayed seated as the little boy cried.

He finally broke away, looking a little embarrassed and trying his best to stifle his sniffles. He wiped at his eyes roughly. "S-sorry…Dino-san must think I'm really weak…"

Dino smiled a little, "you shouldn't be worrying about being a man when you're only a kid, little bro."

Tsuna had no response to that. Instead, he said, "a-about…my parents…are they safe?"

"Yup. They didn't burn in the fire five years ago."

"R-really? Then…what happened?"

Dino shrugged, "I don't know all of it but Iemitsu got word that some assassins from another family were after you. They're the ones who burned your house. Iemitsu already had a plan ready by then. He got you and your mother out of the house and a couple state-of-the-art dolls or something were left in his and mamma's place. It was a good thing he was prepared."

Tsuna frowned, "But…then why didn't he come back for me?"

"Let me tell you a little about the potential heirs of the Vongola; the Ninth's eldest son, Enrico, was killed during a feud. The second eldest, Matsumo, was drowned. And the only thing left of Federico, the youngest, was a pile of bones."

Tsuna paled. "Wh-what?"

"Now, it had only been known that you were the next candidate for successor about a year after Federico got killed. News like that spreads fast. Vongola's enemies jumped at the chance to kill the next boss. The fire incident would have been the first of many assassination attempts. Iemitsu was worried. He got rid of the assassins and had his spies spread the word that the Sawada family had been wiped out. Our enemies rejoiced, thinking it was all over for the Vongola."

Tsuna gulped. Dino could only imagine what must be going through his mind. "Don't worry about it, though. You're protected, for the moment."

"F-for the moment?" Tsuna shook his head, eyes tortured once more. "Anyway, why didn't my dad…come back…why didn't he…? I was…out on the streets all by myself and…" He looked away as more tears gathered in his eyes. He wiped at them furiously.

Dino nodded, "he could have. But if he had come back to Japan, he wouldn't have had anywhere to go and, for all intents and purposes, he was dead so he couldn't just start living here again, you know? He wanted you to stay in Japan. And, anyway, during those days, a lot of Vongola's enemies came to check whether the Sawada family house had really been burnt down and that you'd really died. You see, since you took to the streets, it was easy to make it look like you'd been caught in the fire too.

He was always watching out for you, though; he had spies on the lookout in case you ever needed protecting. How do you think you survived on your own for six weeks? He would have put a stop to it sooner or later but then Kyouya took you in and, after doing some background checks, he deemed it safe so he called his spies back." He smiled and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "He knows everything about you, from the things you're good at to the things you really hate; he knows _everything_. He comes to Japan every once in a while to see how you've been getting on."

Tsuna looked down at his hands for a while, his expression thoughtful. There were so many questions and worries in his gaze when he looked up at Dino. The boy took in a deep breath, "and…what about my mom?"

Dino grinned, "Mamma's fine. Her cooking is the best! I don't know if you remember it but she is amazing! She can easily beat Vongola's best chefs when it comes to cooking food!"

This forced a laugh from the boy, though it was only half-hearted. "Really…? That's…good. Does she…ever think about me?"

Dino raised an eyebrow, "she's your mom, Tsuna. Of course she thinks about you. She gets sad from time to time but she learnt to cope with not seeing you, because she knows it's for your own good. She wants what's best for you."

Tsuna nodded slowly and bowed his head, not trusting himself to speak as his eyes took on a glassy quality once more.

There was silence. Dino wanted to fill it with some banter but he didn't say a word. All of this must be very hard on the kid. He was trying his best to cope with it. And he was getting himself together far quicker than Dino had when he'd been bereaved.

Tsuna wiped at his eyes again and sat up properly. He tried on a smile and, although it was shaky, it held. "Thank you, Dino-san."

"Do me a favour," Dino said, "call me aniki or something. I've always wanted to be called that. Doesn't it sound cool?"

This earned him a weak chuckle. "Hai…aniki."

Dino smiled and ruffled the boy's hair again.

"So, my parents were…_are_ really in the mafia?" Tsuna asked.

"Aah," Dino nodded, "…well, your dad is. As the Vongola family tree said, your father's line has descended directly from Vongola Primo. Mamma had nothing to do with the mafia. She didn't even know Iemitsu was part of it until the night of the fire."

Tsuna sighed, "So…I really don't have a choice in this?"

Dino shrugged, "your dad's been working hard for you to stay alive, Tsuna. He wants this for you. Besides, since you're the only one fit for the position of Vongola Decimo, I don't think Vongola's just going to accept it if you refuse."

"Hii! Scary!"

"Ahaha, so you better cooperate, right?"

Tsuna sighed. "Can't believe all this."

Dino grinned, "Want me to get your dad on the phone? That'll be ample proof, right?"

The boy's eyes went wide. "R-really?! You can do that?!"

"Sure." Dino dug his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled down his list of contacts as Tsuna watched the screen. He stopped at "Iemitsu Sawada" and clicked call. He put the device to his ear. Tsuna leaned in close so their heads were joined.

"Hello?" a deep voice said on the other end.

Dino watched Tsuna's face as the boy's eyes went wide again. He looked suddenly nervous. "Yo, Iemitsu!" the Italian said.

"Dino? It's been a while!" Iemitsu greeted cheerily. "How's the…assignment going?" He spoke Italian but Dino responded in Japanese. It wouldn't do if the kid couldn't understand the words at all. "I'm no Reborn," the young man joked, "so I can't do much. But it was nice meeting your son."

If Iemitsu was surprised at the change of language, it wasn't apparent in his voice as he responded in kind. "Didn't I tell you he was cute?!" he laughed. Tsuna flushed.

Dino chuckled. "Yeah. Here, say a few words."

There was silence from the other end. He guessed Iemitsu hadn't been expecting that. He handed the phone over to Tsuna. The kid's hands were shaking as he took the device and put it to his ear. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came.

Dino sat back but he could still hear Iemitsu on the other end. "Tsuna? How…are you?"

Tsuna was frozen in place. He might as well have been a sculpture; he didn't move a single muscle. His eyes were too wide.

"Tsuna…?" Iemitsu said.

"Say something." Dino whispered.

Tsuna took in a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. "D-dad…?" And he couldn't say anymore. He slapped the phone into Dino's hands and furiously shook his head, signalling that he wasn't going to try it again.

Dino put the device back to his ear, "Iemitsu?"

Iemitsu sighed, "I guess it was too much too fast, huh?"

"Sorry." Dino mumbled. "I probably shouldn't have done this just yet."

"Well, at least now I can tell Nana our son knows about our existence," the older man said good-naturedly.

Dino chuckled, "give Mamma my greetings and," he looked at Tsuna, "my little bro's too."

"Will do, kid. Take care of Tsuna for me. Later."

"Yeah, bye." Dino hung up.

Tsuna looked down. "Sorry."

Dino smiled a small smile and ruffled the kid's hair. "I should have expected it. I'm the one who should be sorry. Anyway, let's go get that shopping inside, huh?"

"Hai."

* * *

I dunno if I overdid it with the "burning in the fire" incident...actually, I'm wondering if I overdid it with a certain coming chapter too...meh...


	14. Big Brothers

Hibari's concerns about what was happening with Tsuna were pushed to the side as he found some people to bite to death. It was a good thing these stupid herbivores were out; Hibari's tonfa were itching to beat someone senseless. Every time he felt uncertain (which wasn't often), or when something was happening that he could do nothing about, it pissed him off so much.

He licked off some blood which was spattered onto his cheek and sheathed his tonfa. He looked down with cold eyes at the inert bodies of the five boys who had had the misfortune to come across him this fine afternoon. He then turned and wandered off. Maybe he'd get lucky and come across more hoodlums who were disrupting the order of his town.

He wandered around for ages, hoping that someone, anyone, would step into his path so he could bite them to death. But the townsfolk had gotten much too smart when dealing with him; they knew he wouldn't do anything to them as long as they kept out of his way.

So he went to Nami-chuu (his "office") instead and got on with some work. By the time he took to the streets again, it was almost seven. Usually, the herbivore would be making dinner around this time, but Hibari doubted that this evening would follow the same trend as the ones before it. And so, change had happened. He really did hate change.

He called Kusakabe and gave some orders for patrol duty and then wandered around a bit. Soon, eight 'o' clock rolled around. He stopped by a ramen vendor to eat. He wanted to go home but he also didn't want to see the herbivore. And he wasn't monstrous enough to vent his frustrations on his little brother during this trying period.

He took his time eating. What would he do after this anyway? As soon as he stepped into the street again, he heard a yell, "OSSU, HIBARI!"

His brow quivered in annoyance as the loud voice assaulted his ears. He looked off to his right and saw a blur of red coming towards him. He didn't move and the blur came to a stop. As expected, "the blur" was a boy with short grey hair. He was wearing a red jogging suit and a towel was draped around his shoulders.

"So, have you decided to join my boxing club yet?!" the boy asked with undue intensity.

Hibari's brow quivered again. Always so _loud_. "Pursuing useless issues will result in being bitten to death, Ryohei Sasagawa." He began walking, not really sure where he was going to go. But anywhere away from this loudmouth was good enough.

But, much to his aggravation, Ryohei followed. "Aw, c'mon! You should think about it! You have extreme strength! Boxing will be good for you!"

"I'd rather you didn't decide things like that on your own. I have no wish you join your boxing club."

As usual, though, Ryohei wouldn't take no for an answer. "You have to join! It's extremely good! One day, boxing is going to be the national sport! You should try it out now, to the extreme!"

Hibari pulled out his tonfa, his frustration rising to the surface. This guy only ever shut up when he was beaten down good and solid. Hibari's arm snapped out, tonfa at the ready.

But Ryohei dodged, a delighted grin on his face. "You want to practice now?! That's extremely awesome!"

Hibari had to try hard to keep the frustrated growl from escaping his lips as he attacked again. Ryohei Sasagawa was not the best person to come upon when one was trying to quell the anger inside one's heart. _But then again_, Hibari thought as he landed a hard blow to the boxer's temple, _this is refreshing_. He then struck Ryohei in the gut with his other tonfa.

Ryohei staggered back, but straightened up quickly. "This is an extreme practice session!" He raised his fists and started gently bobbing up and down. Hibari tried to strike the boy's head but the boxer dodged sharply to the right. A fist wound in bandages whistled through the air but Ryohei missed as Hibari easily evaded.

That was when the phone in Hibari's pocket started to vibrate. Not wanting to leave a fight unfinished, he got serious. He went in for the killing blow, stepping aside when Ryohei tried to punch him in the face. His tonfa snapped out and caught the boxer on the top of the head. The strike was hard enough to bring the fair-haired boy to his knees.

Hibari sheathed his tonfa and pulled out his phone. He didn't recognise the number. He put it to his ear. "Hn?"

"Kyouya?" Dino said.

Who else would it be? Hibari's irritation sparked. "What do you want?" he asked, walking away from Nami Junior High Boxing Club's captain.

"Where are you?"

"Why?"

"Tsuna's worried."

"Why?"

"Well, cuz you walked off without saying anything. He thinks it's his fault."

Hibari yawned. "I'll be back in a while."

"You don't sound all that concerned." Dino clicked his tongue.

"I need a nap." Hibari hung up.

Stupid herbivores, they came one after the other, didn't they? Couldn't they just leave him be? He was trying to get the anger out of his system but, so far, he hadn't had much luck. Just the mention of Dino's name irked him so hearing that stupid voice was downright aggravating.

"Hey, Hibari!"

He growled as he looked back over his shoulder. Ryohei had stood up and was making his way towards his attacker. There was a huge bruise on his head where Hibari had hit him but he still wore a maddening grin. "Something wrong?"

Hibari ignored him. But, of course, that wasn't enough to put Ryohei off. "C'mon, friends should share, ya know."

"I don't remember labelling you as such." Hibari was regretting going easy on this brat. He liked the kid's spirit so he'd held back, because he'd not wanted to injure him _too_ badly (as in, beyond repair…i.e. kill him). Looked like that had been a mistake. Well, that could be amended. He pulled out his tonfa.

Ryohei laughed, "Doesn't matter. I think of you as a friend so it's all right, right? Friendship is extreme!"

Hibari hit him with the butt of his weapon. The blow was so fast Ryohei didn't even see it coming. Hibari hissed, "Don't aggravate me further, Ryohei Sasagawa. It's not wise."

Ryohei gasped and clutched at his nose as it erupted with a shower of red. "Something must be troubling you if you lash out so quickly, Hibari!" he shouted. "What's wrong, to the extreme?!"

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "I need a reason to bite someone to death?"

Ryohei laughed, "There's usually an extreme reason! Am I irritating you, to the extreme?!"

"Yes."

"Oh! I see! But there's something troubling you! I hear you have an extreme kid brother! Maybe that's the extreme reason?!"

Hibari stopped walking. He turned his head sharply to the side, gaze narrowed. Ryohei's grin widened as he wiped at his nose with the towel around his shoulders. "You're wondering how I guessed, right? You're not the type to get in such an extremely foul mood, right? Whenever _I_ get in an extremely bad mood, it's because something happened with my little sister."

This boy _did_ have a younger sibling, Hibari knew. Kyoko Sasagawa, Namimori Junior High, Class 1-A, the same class as Tsuna, if Hibari remembered correctly.

"Don't compare me to you," Hibari said blankly as he continued walking. "My business is none of your concern."

"Aw, c'mon! If you need some extreme advice, I can give you some!" Ryohei said cheerfully. "Being a big brother an all, you have to be careful what you teach them your siblings, because they look up to you, to the extreme! They're easily influenced! But my most extreme advice is that you should think about what's good for them! It works in just about any extreme situation!"

Just how many times did this annoyance have to say "extreme" in one sentence? But Hibari tried not to mind too much as he thought about what the guy had said. _Think about what's good for them…?_

_Was_ he thinking about what was good for Tsuna? No he wasn't. He was thinking about his own desires. He didn't want the herbivore to go so he'd do anything if it meant keeping Tsuna here.

How pathetic that he couldn't imagine his life without the little brat. Just how attached had he become? Anyway, he wasn't used to putting someone else's needs before his own; he'd always gotten what he'd wanted.

He let out a minute sigh. "I don't need your useless advice."

"So it _was_ about your brother, huh?" Ryohei grinned. "Maybe you ought to get him a present; it works for me whenever Kyoko's upset."

"I don't do presents." Hibari replied with a scoff. This boy was beginning to annoy him…and one of the reasons was that he was a _better brother than Hibari was_.

Hah. Yeah right. He could totally beat this guy. Wasn't he the better brother here? He'd taken Tsuna off the streets and sheltered him and fed him. Nobody could beat that. But then again, Hibari's circumstances were different so many he'd only taken Tsuna in for his own reasons.

No. No, of course not. He'd felt sorry for the kid, that was why he'd taken him in. That was _all_. He wasn't some pathetic loser who felt lonely. That sounded like a perverted old man and Hibari was most certainly _not_ a perverted old man. He liked small animals was all. Tsuna was a small animal. A small herbivorous animal.

A small amused smirk curved one corner of Hibari's lips as he forced his train of thought to a halt. "I haven't the time to chat with you." he said, cutting Ryohei off as the boy was saying something about stuffed animals making good presents.

"Oh, you're going to your bro?! That's extremely good of you!" Ryohei yelled. Hibari rolled his eyes as he increased his pace, leaving Ryohei behind. "Seeya at school, Hibari!" the boxer yelled after him. Hibari actually put a hand up in acknowledgement.

It was a rarity that he'd not needed to knock the boy out to get away from him. More often than not, Ryohei's insistence that someone join his boxing club ended only when he was either too beat up to talk or was just plain unconscious…or someone actually took heed of his words and joined his club, but that was very, very rare.

Hibari pulled out his phone to have a look at the time. He had to wonder why Ryohei Sasagawa was out jogging at this time; it was almost nine. Fitness freak.

He hurried on home. Dino's red sports car was still there, much to his annoyance. The living room light, he could see, was on. He went inside.

When he closed the front door of his apartment, Tsuna had just left the bathroom. He'd barely met Hibari's gaze when he jerked his head away and walked to the living room. No "okaeri nasai, Nii-chan". Hibari took off his shoes and stepped up. He followed the herbivore to the living room.

The first person he saw was Romario, standing to one side of the door. The bespectacled man bowed.

"Yo, Kyouya." Dino greeted.

Tsuna was now sitting at the corner he usually sat at, exercise book open before him. Dino was sitting on the couch, watching the TV. He budged up so Hibari could sit down. The only sounds were coming from the TV. Hibari took the remote and switched the set off. Total silence filled the room.

Tsuna tried to get on with his homework. "Aniki," the boy said.

Hibari frowned at this new form of address. But he didn't have time to respond as Dino spoke, "yeah?"

Tsuna stood up and, keeping his gaze off of Hibari, he took his exercise book and sheet over to Dino, "can you help me with this, please?"

"Sure, Tsuna." Dino looked at Hibari, eyebrows creased in a puzzled frown.

Hibari looked blank, not giving any indication of the animosity that Tsuna's simple question had stirred up. So, "Dino-san" was now "aniki"? Interesting…

"Um…you know what, I think Kyouya's pretty good with English," Dino said as he made to pass the sheet to Hibari.

"That's okay!" Tsuna cried, snatching the paper out of Dino's hands. "I-I'll figure it out!" He was trying to keep from looking at Hibari, it was so obvious. He hurried back to his little table and pored over his homework with undue urgency.

Dino looked at first Tsuna and then Hibari. Hibari spoke up after a few moments of silence, "Herbivore."

Tsuna screwed his eyes shut. "Yes, Nii-chan?"

Hibari appraised the child. Dino was still staring between the two. The black-haired man finally sighed. "If you want to go, I'm not stopping you." He'd arrived at this conclusion after much consideration. A kid needed his parents, more so than he needed someone to play "brother".

"Hah?!" Dino exclaimed. "But, before, you didn't want him to go! What's with this sudden development?" Hibari glared at him. Dino scratched the back of his head, apologetic grin on his face, "sorry. Not my business, right?"

Hibari scoffed and looked over at Tsuna. The kid was still looking down at his book. Hibari was beginning to get irked. "Blond herbivore."

"What kind of term of address is that?" Dino said indignantly.

"It's about time you left."

"Hah? That's rude, Kyouya."

"Then…please leave."

"Still rude."

Hibari's patience was wearing thin. "Just get out."

Dino heaved a weary sigh and got to his feet, "fine, fine. I was only waiting for you to get back anyway. You shouldn't leave kids at home alone."

"He's used to it, I'm sure." Hibari responded.

Dino picked up his phone from the table and turned to the door.

"Wait!"

He looked back. "What's the matter, Tsuna?"

Tsuna looked ill at ease. He looked up at Dino, "c-can I…can I come with Dino-san?"

Hibari's posture stiffened. Bitter loathing crept up his heart. He'd said Tsuna could go but…maybe he'd been hoping the kid would stay. He didn't trust himself to speak, because if he did, only bitterness would seep out. He got to his feet instead and, walking past Dino and Romario, he went to the bedroom, closing the door with a jarring crash.

His movements were jerky as he took out his laptop from his bedside cabinet. It took conscious effort not to throw the apparatus down and break it. He took in a deep breath and plugged the machine in and turned it on. Work always helped calm him down…and if that failed, he'd have to leave so he didn't vent his frustrations on the source of his anger.

A few moments later, said source opened the door and peeked around it. "N-Nii-chan…?"

Hibari's jaw reflexively tightened. It seemed his anger hadn't evaporated just yet. He cast a brief glance up before returning to the computer screen, "You're talking to me now?"

Tsuna walked in, taking small, anxious steps towards Hibari's bed. "Um…can you allow Dino-san to stay…?"

"What's the point of that? You're going to stay with him anyway, aren't you?" Hibari opened another email and checked the file attachment. Working by computer was so much better than bringing files home, he mused.

"Um…a-about that…I just…I don't want Nii-chan to be angry with me." Tsuna said. His hands were clasped in front of him and his thumbs went around and around. He was nervous.

"I've no reason to get angry with you." Hibari responded, eyes scanning the file as he scrolled down.

He tried to ignore the vast well of hostility that wanted to let loose inside of him right now. So maybe he _was_ lying. But if he let out that hostility, he'd vent his frustrations on the herbivore and he'd end up destroying whatever little smidgen of faith Tsuna had left in him. But he wasn't angry at just the herbivore so he shouldn't take it out on the herbivore alone. Everything was annoying him.

But he gave no indication of this as he continued to check over the file on his computer.

"But…Nii-chan seems angry so…I thought Nii-chan wouldn't want me here anymore…" Tsuna mumbled.

Hibari flipped the laptop closed. He slid it to the side and looked up at the kid. "Sit."

Tsuna did as asked.

"I said you can go, didn't I?" Hibari said, his even tone not giving away anything of what he felt. "While I may not find it favourable that you leave, I also don't have the right to keep you here if you wish to go."

Tsuna's gaze was so hopeful. "R-really? N-Nii-chan doesn't want me to leave?"

Hibari stared at him blankly. "No, I don't." He saw nothing wrong with admitting that, even though he'd never ever given any indication that he valued this brat's existence. But that should be pretty clear anyway, right? Tsuna was here today because Hibari liked him being here.

A slow smile spread across the boy's lips. "Then…please allow me to stay a while longer!"

Hibari sighed. "This is your home, right?"

"Hai." Tsuna grinned.

Hibari got out the laptop again. Tsuna continued to sit there. The silence stretched. "So, can aniki stay?" the boy asked.

Hibari held back an exasperated growl. "Fine."

"Thank you, Nii-chan!" the boy beamed. "Shall I make dinner?"

"I've eaten."

"Ok." the child stood up. He looked much happier than when he'd come in.

* * *

It was nearly eleven when Hibari emerged out of the bedroom, wondering why the herbivore hadn't come in to sleep yet. He'd heard the door close a while ago so he'd thought Dino had finally left. No such luck. The one who'd left had been Romario.

He heard hollering in the living room and went to see what was going on. His brow quivered in annoyance when he took in the sight of Tsuna and Dino seated on the floor in front of the TV. They'd taken out the games console that Tsuna had bought with his saved up allowance a while back (after asking if he could, of course). In their hands were game controllers and the TV screen showed two characters fighting.

"…gonna win!" Tsuna cried.

"No way! Ha! Take that, Tsuna!" Dino shouted in triumph as his character kicked out at Tsuna's and sent him sailing through the air, costing the boy's character a considerable amount of health.

"I'm not done! Aniki's gonna lose this one!" Tsuna said as his fingers sped over the controller with well-practiced movements.

"Hey, no fair!"

"Ahaha, I've won!"

"Not yet, you haven't, kid!"

Hibari went to sit down at the couch and reached for the remote control. He switched the screen off. "Wha…?!" Tsuna cried out as he gazed around in bewilderment. He paused when he saw Hibari. "Oh, Nii-chan…"

Dino sighed, "that's just nasty, Kyouya. Let us play."

Hibari stared him down. "I will not have herbivores causing a ruckus under my roof. Why are you still here?"

"Because Nii-chan said aniki could stay." Tsuna replied.

"I meant he could stay a while longer. I thought that was what you meant."

Tsuna's eyes were big and earnest. "Then…can he stay? Please…Nii-chan?" He looked so cute. Hibari's refusal wavered. "Fine…but he has to leave after breakfast in the morning." His cold blue eyes went to rest on Dino, demanding some sort of acknowledgement.

Dino grinned, "Sure. Thanks, Kyouya."

"Um…c-can we…continue the game…please?" Tsuna mumbled, looking down.

"After you make me some coffee." Hibari said. He turned the TV back on.

"Hai!" Tsuna jumped to his feet happily.

"Ah, I want some too!" Dino called after him.

"Ok." Tsuna raced out of the room.

Looking at the screen, Hibari stood up. He went around the table and sat down where Tsuna had been sitting before. Dino frowned. "You wanna play?"

Hibari picked up the controller in silent agreement. Dino grinned and clicked continue. The pause menu disappeared so they were able to see the characters properly. Hibari looked at Tsuna's character with a frown. Why a weak-looking girl in a weird skimpy outfit? He paused it again and scrolled down the menu and clicked on "change character".

"Haha, Tsuna's pretty talented at this stuff, ya know," Dino said. "The characters he chooses are usually very strong, even if they don't look it. He knows how to use them."

Hibari scoffed. "I would imagine so, since he's more inclined to playing games than studying." He didn't let Tsuna take out the games console on weekdays but, on weekends, he was on this in much of his spare time. But Hibari hadn't brought the child up to shirk duties so, at the least, he didn't neglect the housework.

"Well, yeah," Dino said, "he's a kid. Not everybody's like you, eh? Fighting people in real life to prove you're strong, even at the age of seven."

Hibari narrowed his gaze as they continued playing the game. His character, a burly dark-skinned man, unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks on Dino's character. Half of Dino's health was taken away.

Dino smiled a small smile. "Did I hit a sore spot?"

"I'd advise you to be quiet." Hibari said quietly.

Dino didn't stop though. His character launched his own series of kicks and Hibari didn't manage to evade in time. "When are you going to tell Tsuna about it? I don't know if you know but he's curious. Anyone would be, really, but he's too respectful and too scared of you to ask."

"That's the way it should be," Hibari huffed as he pressed down repeatedly on select buttons of the controller. His character couldn't move away in time as Dino attacked again. His health was nearly all gone.

"Really?" Dino asked. "You don't care that he wants to know what kind of a person you are, that he wants to know how you became the way you are today, about your parents, about your past?"

Hibari's health reached zero percent. "Game over" flashed across the screen. Aggravated, he let go of the controller and stood up. "This doesn't compare to real life."

Dino chuckled, "you're just a sore loser." Hibari kicked him in the side as he walked past on his way back to the couch. Dino hissed as he doubled over. "You're harsh, Kyouya." he wheezed.

Hibari raised his legs onto the table and crossed them at the ankles. Tsuna came in not long after. He frowned at the TV screen, where round five had been paused. "What happened to my character?"

"Kyouya changed it." Dino said.

Tsuna blinked and then stared down at Hibari. "Oh." He came to set the steaming mugs down on the table, minding Hibari's feet. Then he went to sit down on the floor beside Dino and picked up the controller. "Shall we play?"

"Sure."

They began another game. Hibari reached for his violet and black striped mug and took a small sip of the hot bitter liquid inside. Just the way he liked it; not too much sugar, with just a few drops of milk. The herbivore had grown really good at catering to his Nii-chan's preferences these past few years.

The herbivores' game continued. Hibari leant back in the couch, mug propped up on the armrest as he watched the TV. Tsuna didn't exclaim like he'd been doing before Hibari had come, though it took obvious effort not to. Dino seemed to pick up on it because he tried to tone down his enthusiasm too, though some words escaped past his lips when he emerged victorious.

Hibari finished his coffee but he continued to observe the two gamers as they played. Dino's mug lay forgotten on the table, and the liquid inside gradually grew cold.

There were forty minutes left to midnight. "Herbivore."

Tsuna looked back. "Yes, Nii-chan?"

"Get to bed."

Both gamers glanced at the clock. "Crap, it's this late already?!" Dino exclaimed.

Tsuna saved their game and shut off the console. Dino stood up and only looked at his coffee then. He sighed. "I'll take this to the kitchen." He picked up the mug, as well as Hibari's, and left the room.

There was a crash. Tsuna jumped. "Aniki!" He got to his feet and rushed out the door. Hibari went to see what had happened too.

In the kitchen, Dino had tripped. Cold coffee had spilled all over the floor and the two mugs were broken.

Seeing his favourite mug broken, Hibari pulled out his tonfa. "I'm going to bite you to death."

"Hii!" Tsuna cried. "P-please don't, Nii-chan! I-I'll clean it up! I promise!" He positioned himself in front of the blond man as Dino sat up, clutching his head in pain.

"That man is getting on my nerves. He will be bitten to death." Hibari's cold eyes bore into Tsuna's. Tsuna looked suddenly nervous. Hibari's gaze narrowed. "If you don't get out of the way, I'll bite you to death too."

Dino got to his feet and pushed Tsuna gently out of the way. "A-aniki…" the boy stammered. Dino sighed, "Don't scare the kid like that, Kyouya. It was my fault. I'll clean up the mess and get you another mug."

"Just any mug won't do; that was my favourite one, you know." Hibari said blankly. "I've had it for five years."

Dino blanched. "R-really? W-wow…must be special."

"Indeed. So, what are you doing to do about it? If I can bite you to death, we'll call it even."

"Um…" Tsuna put his hands up to appease the men. "P-please don't fight…"

"Be quiet, herbivore," Hibari ordered calmly. He held his weapons aloft, fully intent on leaping forward and attacking the Italian.

But, just as he did so, Tsuna jumped between them, taking the hit instead. He cried out as he staggered back and bumped into Dino. Both of them toppled over.

Hibari stopped. He stared down at the painful looking heap. It _did_ look quite painful, the way their limbs were twined together like that. How had a simple bump resulted in _that_, anyway? The clumsiness of these two idiots was almost incredible.

Hibari turned away as an amused smirk curled the corner of his lips. "Then…I'll be expecting a new mug by Monday."

"O-oi, aren't you concerned at all that you just hit your kid brother?" Dino asked. He hissed as he tried to extricate himself from Tsuna. He managed it, somehow, and helped the boy to his feet. "You okay?"

Tsuna put a hand on his back and stretched, wincing as he did so. "I just learnt something."

"What's that?"

"I'll never be a contortionist."

Dino chuckled. "I'll second that. Anyway, there a mop around here? I'll clean up."

"That's okay. I'll do it."

"No, no, I said I'd do it so I'll do it."

Tsuna sighed. "Then…I'll brush up and aniki can mop up."

"All right. Hey…where'd Kyouya go?"

The two saw that there was no one in the kitchen doorway. Hibari was back in the living room, lying on the couch. He reached for the remote. He didn't especially like watching TV; it just gave him something to focus his attention on…because the sound of laughter and talking coming from the kitchen was annoying. It was nearing twelve. Just because the herbivore wasn't going to school tomorrow didn't mean he could stay up so late.

A few minutes passed by before he heard the two emerge into the hallway. Tsuna went to the bedroom and Dino came to the living room. "Hey, mind if I sit down?" he asked.

"Yes." Hibari responded, but he sat up to make room anyway.

Dino took a seat, his gaze turned towards the TV, though he didn't seem too interested in the documentary playing on it. "Did I say sorry for breaking your mug?"

"Hn."

"Was that a yes or a no?"

Hibari didn't bother to respond this time.

"I'm sorry, in any case. Say, it's your bir…" Dino began.

"Aniki?"

Both men turned to look over their shoulders at Tsuna. Dino smiled, "what is it, Tsuna?"

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"Ah…um…I'll make do on the couch."

Tsuna frowned. "No way. You can take my bed if you want. I'll get a futon."

"_I_'ll take the futon. Don't wanna trouble you guys further."

"Then you should get out…" Hibari mumbled, eyes still glued to the TV.

Dino frowned. "You say something, Kyouya?"

"No."

Tsuna smiled, "I'll set out the futon for you."

"Thanks, Tsuna." Dino grinned.

The boy retreated. Dino chuckled to himself, "what a cute little kid."

"Hn." Hibari responded.

"Was that agreement?"

"Hn."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'll bite you to death if you keep asking unnecessary questions." Hibari frowned at the blond man. "Why are you still here anyway?"

Dino shrugged, "Tsuna wanted me to stay."

"You shouldn't have agreed. My policies are being ignored because of you."

Dino chuckled, "policies?"

"My house rules."

"Oh. Sorry. But you should give Tsuna a little more freedom."

"He has plenty of freedom. And anything I decide is for his own good."

"Right." Dino didn't sound convinced but he didn't pursue the subject. "Can I change the channel please?"

"No."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry."

Silence fell. Dino, clearly feeling a little awkward, got up. "I'm going to bed. Night, Kyouya."

Hibari made no response. The older of the two left the room. Hibari heard talking from the bedroom.

After a minute, the low buzzing of conversation was still heard. Five minutes passed. The talking continued. Ten minutes passed. Still going. Fifteen minutes…Hibari growled and got to his feet. He switched off the TV and, on his way out, he flicked the light switch in the living room. He went over to the bedroom and stood in the doorway, observing the two inside.

Tsuna had set up the futon right beside his bed. He was lying at the edge of his mattress, smiling as he conversed with Dino, who was also in bed. The boy looked up as he spotted Hibari in the doorway. Following Tsuna's gaze, Dino looked up too.

Hibari's gaze was cold. "By the time I switch off the light, if all is not quiet, you two herbivores will be bitten to death." he said as he snatched his pyjamas off the back of the door and left the room.

He went to the bathroom and made the necessary preparations to get to bed. He was so tired. He'd not even had a nap today. Stupid herbivores sure liked to disrupt the peace, didn't they? He ought to bite them to death for daring to be so bold.

But he wasn't too irritated. Tsuna had been through a lot today but he was now back to his usual self, and it was probably thanks to the Bucking Horse – because, if Hibari was being honest, he knew he'd never have been able to cheer Tsuna up like that. It pissed him off a little though, knowing that Dino, who Tsuna had known for just about a week, was a better brother than Hibari was.

Hibari went back to the bedroom. Tsuna and Dino were obediently lying in their beds, covers pulled to their chins. He switched off the light and went over to his own bed and climbed under the covers.

He looked at the red digital dial of the clock on his bedside cabinet. 23:56. He closed his eyes and attempted to drift off.

"Nii-chan…?"

His mind was going hazy as he began entering that distant world of dreams but the voice brought him back. He blinked to clear his eyes. "What?"

"Happy birthday."

Half-lidded eyes moved to stare at the glowing dial of the clock. 00:00. He was officially eighteen. He scoffed and closed his eyes. "Go to sleep."

* * *

Bit long. Sorry. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Omake** (crack section):

Prince Tsunayoshi, the younger brother of King Kyouya, was to be wedded. King Kyouya was not happy. The bride would the fair-haired Princess Kyoko, daughter of King Dino from the land of Cavallonia.

Of course, King Kyouya could have just turned down the idea when Princess Haru, a good friend of Princess Kyoko and also Prince Tsunayoshi's cousin, had suggested it. But he wasn't usually one to show his concern. And his monopolising of his little brother's time was not something he'd admit to.

So he declared war on Cavallonia, under the pretext that he was bored. Prince Tsunayoshi was devastated. King Kyouya was delighted.


	15. Happy Birthday, Niichan

Tsuna looked over everything. The food was made. The drinks were ready. The cake was…the cake! He rushed to the windowsill, not believing how stupid he was to forget the cake. It had cooled down ages ago! How could he have forgotten it?! Well, no biggie. He picked it up and took it over to the countertop and set it down.

He looked at the oven clock. 20:58. Almost nine! Nii-chan should be home any minute now! On Sundays, he usually came home at around nine.

He got out a plate and put the bottom half of the cake on it, spread the butter cream over it and lined the inside of the top layer with jam, and pressed the two halves together. He got out the piping bag he'd stuffed with cream earlier and started decorating.

In the end, he'd gone with a simple sponge, not trusting his cooking skills to come up with something too fancy. Anyway, Nii-chan was more the kind of guy who placed value above appearance so it would be fine as long as it tasted good, right?

He finished decorating and stood up straight to admire his work. Hah, and people called him Dame-Tsuna? At least his culinary skills weren't all bad. Maybe he ought to be a chef when he grew up? Grinning to himself, he went to wash the cake tins he'd emptied and also cleaned the piping bag. He then cleaned anything that needed cleaning and sat down at the table to wait.

Ten minutes went by. No door opened. No Nii-chan. Twenty minutes…About half an hour later, he had slumped down on the table. Where was Nii-chan? Maybe there had been some last minute "business" to take care of. Yes, that had to be it.

Just then, he heard the door close. Grinning again, he jumped to his feet. He felt a little daring so he got a party popper (just a single one, mind you) and left the kitchen. He'd not seen Hibari at all today, since he'd slept in.

He emerged into the hallway. "Okaeri na…" he trailed off, party popper held at the ready. But he didn't pop it.

Hibari looked absolutely murderous. A rare sight indeed. That wasn't all; there was a huge ugly bruise on his cheek. He brushed past Tsuna and went to the bedroom, slamming the door shut after him.

Tsuna was frozen to the spot. He looked at the pathetic party popper in his hand. He went back to the kitchen and put it down and left the room again.

He paused by the door of the bedroom, wondering if he should ask what was wrong. But, when Nii-chan was that angry (so angry that the anger actually _showed_ on his face), it was best to stay away. When Nii-chan was like that, he didn't care who he vented on. But Tsuna was really worried! That bruise was hideous! Was there someone strong enough to actually land a hit on his Nii-chan?! He couldn't just stand by and do nothing!

So, hand trembling in fear, he knocked on the door. "N-Nii-chan?" he called out softly.

He got no response. Just then, the phone rang. He waited, expecting Nii-chan to come out and get it. But five rings later, Hibari still hadn't emerged so Tsuna went to pick it up.

"Tsuna?" Dino asked.

"H-hai…"

"Listen, I'm really sorry. I know you were hoping Kyouya would be in a good mood today and all but…"

Tsuna frowned. "What happened?"

"I dropped a helluva bombshell on him and now he's angry. I'm sorry."

Of course, Tsuna didn't comprehend. "But…what exactly did you say?"

Dino sighed. "I told him I'm going to take you to Italy. He said no. I said your dad said this but he still said no and then we had a bit of a scuffle."

Tsuna's eyes nearly bogged out of his head. "Wh-what?! B-but…you said I wouldn't have to go until…!"

"I know." Dino said calmly. "But Iemitsu and Mamma really wanna see you. And Iemitsu really wants to get your training under way. He had wanted it to take place in Japan but he's decided that Italy wouldn't be so bad."

Tsuna was torn. "B-but…" He wanted to meet his parents, certainly. But he didn't want to leave Japan! He didn't want to leave Nii-chan! What if he went to Italy and…he never got the chance to come back? He didn't want to go if it meant never seeing Nii-chan again! "I-I don't…"

"Iemitsu said so." Dino said. He sounded tired now. "I tried to explain. Iemitsu then said to bring Kyouya along too. I told Kyouya the idea. He rejected it before I'd even finished speaking. He won't leave Namimori."

Of course. That was a given; Hibari was Namimori's protector. There was no way he'd leave for an extended period of time just like that!

What was Tsuna to do in this situation?! "Wh-why…is Nii-chan so angry?"

"I'm not too sure about that." Dino replied. "It might be because…Iemitsu didn't ask you directly. Unless it's your decision and yours alone, he won't accept it." He sighed. "Damn, why'd he fight me if he had a problem with something your dad said? What a troublesome guy. And he ended up getting hurt too."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tsuna was a little shocked that Dino had actually managed to injure Nii-chan but his attention was largely elsewhere. He ignored the man's musing and stared back at the doorway of the room. To go to Italy or to stay here? Did he want to meet his parents more or did he want to stay with Nii-chan more? Why did he have to choose?! This wasn't fair!

"And…when am I supposed to be there by?" he asked.

"The end of the week."

"What?! No way!" Tsuna exclaimed with disbelief. That soon?! Just like that?! Absolute not! He had school to worry about! He had friends now! He had to worry about Nii-chan too! He couldn't just up and leave! He wouldn't accept this!

"You can tell my father that I won't be coming," he said quietly, each word clear and precise, "And that, as someone who has been out of my life for more than five years now, he doesn't have the right to make those kinds of decisions for me."

"E-eh…? Tsuna…?" Dino said, clearly surprised. "But you…"

"Please! I won't leave!" Tsuna yelled, tears gathering at his eyes, but he refused to let his voice hitch. "I owe _everything_ to Nii-chan and I'm not selfish enough to leave just like that! That's not the kind of person I was brought up to be! Tell my father this!" He slammed the receiver down.

He braced himself against the wall. His shoulders shook. The unjustness of it all…how could Iemitsu make a demand like that and expect Tsuna to be okay with it?!

Just yesterday, Tsuna had been so happy (shocked, but happy nonetheless) that the ones who he'd thought he'd lost forever were actually alive and well. Yesterday, he'd felt that life was beginning anew once more, with his parents and his Nii-chan and his "aniki". But now…now…his own father wanted him to forget his most important people and leave the country? No way!

He slumped with his back against the wall and slid down it so he could clutch his knees to his chest. Tears, no matter how hard he tried to still them, ran down his cheeks. _Don't cry_, he ordered himself. _It's shameful for a man to cry. Only herbivores cry, remember? Come on! Stop it! Before Nii-chan comes out and sees me in this pathetic state!_

He looked up as he thought of Nii-chan. And his tears, as well as his whole frame, immediately froze. The door of the bedroom was open and Hibari was standing there. Tsuna roughly wiped at his eyes and stood up. "I'm…" he cleared his throat when his voice came out as a thick croak, "I'm sorry. I-if it's all right, I'd like to go for a walk…to clear my head."

Hibari nodded. It was a brusque gesture. Tsuna turned and walked over to the front door. He slipped on his shoes and got a black jacket from one of the coat pegs and pulled it on.

As he left, he didn't think to glance back. If he had, he'd have seen a most unusual look on Hibari's face. It was soft, as if…tortured but…relieved at the same time. But he didn't see it.

* * *

As the front door closed, Hibari retreated back into the bedroom. He'd been feeling anger before, _intense_ anger. But now that was draining out and he didn't like this new feeling one little bit. Sadness.

He didn't let sadness get to him, since his whole wreck of a life was quite sad, if he was honest. But he didn't let it get to him, because he was just that extraordinarily wilful.

But this time, the reason he felt sad had nothing to do with his own past. This was Tsuna's life. Where was this kid going? What would he do when he became an adult? Well, before he reached that stage, he'd probably die from all the shocks he was receiving of late.

Had Iemitsu Sawada really not thought about the fragility of his son's mind before pushing such a decision on him? Hibari knew Tsuna was quite weak (when he wasn't in that insane "REBORN! ____ AS IF I WERE TO DIE!" mode); he got scared easily, he cried easily, he backed down easily when someone challenged him, and (most importantly) he was just an herbivore. And since Dino had said that Iemitsu knew everything that there possibly was to know about Tsuna, why didn't he know of this little fact?

The kid had never had any expectations for his own future, Hibari knew. He'd read one of Tsuna's exercises for homework once. The exercise had been "what I want to be when I grow up". There had been just one single sentence written by the boy. _'I want to be useful to Nii-chan'_.

So, never having had many expectations, he must have been very surprised when he learnt that he was to be a mafia boss. How could Iemitsu Sawada just push something like this onto his son? It was kind of selfish. Tsuna had only learnt all of this yesterday and, now, he'd found out he was going to be shipped off to Italy to begin his training.

Hibari wouldn't allow it. He knew for certain now that the herbivore didn't want to go. With that information in mind, Hibari would be the guardian that he was meant to be and he'd look after his charge. After all, nothing was going to change the fact that Hibari was Tsuna's legal guardian…not even Tsuna's parents. Because, while they may have given birth to the child and brought him up for the first seven years of his life, they'd left him in Hibari's hands.

If Iemitsu Sawada pushed this decision even after hearing Tsuna's opinion, then by god, Hibari was going to make life difficult for the man. After all, Iemitsu and Nana Sawada were "dead"…at least officially. Anyone claiming to be the parents of the boy could easily be imposters with ill intentions…right? And if they tried to prove that they were the real parents, things would get complicated (what with the mafia and all) and matters would get out of hand so wouldn't it be better to just leave things as they were…?

A slow, satisfied smirk spread across Hibari's lips. Things _would_ go his way.

He left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. The food was ready. Some of Hibari's favourites. There was a nice-looking cake there too. His brow dipped in annoyance. For the past three years, he'd told the herbivore not to pursue the issue of his birthday. It meant nothing. If anything, it made him rue. He saw no reason to celebrate.

But it wasn't like the herbivore knew the reason. He always tried his best to "be useful to Nii-chan". He always wanted Hibari to be happy with him, to not be angry at him. And, honestly, Hibari tried very hard not to be angry. But when useless things like this were organised, he _hated_ it.

This time, though, he tried to tone his annoyance down a little. The herbivore was going through a rough patch; Hibari could afford to be a little more compassionate. He could overlook the mistake this one time.

He'd kind of been loathing the approach of this day, because Tsuna always got hyped up, not matter what Hibari said. Three years ago, the boy had brought a cake from a novelty cake shop (he'd gone with Kusakabe, of all people, to get them…he'd actually bunked off school to go). Hibari had punished him (three _months_ no stepping into the kitchen outside of mealtimes, no manga, no TV).

The year before last, Tsuna had bunked off school again. Only, this time, he'd arranged for the "shopping trip" before the actual date. He'd bought a black jacket, strangely. Despite not accepting birthday presents, Hibari had really liked it. He'd suspected the vice-president of the DC (who knew quite a bit about Hibari's tastes) had had a hand in it. Kusakabe and Tsuna had both been punished (the former with a beating and the latter with the same punishment as the year before).

Last year, Tsuna had gotten another "present". The boy should have known he'd get punished for it, but he'd gone ahead and ordered a cake anyway, using the money he'd saved up from his allowance.

Hibari really didn't get it; what was the point getting someone gifts with the money that they gave you in the first place? How ridiculous. Well, in comparison, he decided that making this (manageable-sized) cake and this food was okay. But still. He did not like birthdays.

He was hungry so he got himself some food and sat down to eat. He was just finishing when he heard the front door open and then close. He stood up and took the dishes to the sink. Tsuna walked into the kitchen. When he saw Hibari, he attempted a smile, though it was shaky. His gaze lingered on the bruise on Hibari's cheek.

Hibari narrowed his gaze and walked up to the boy. Tsuna looked up at him. He sighed and walked past. "Didn't I say not to make a big deal out of birthdays?"

"B-but…"

"No buts. I thought I made it clear; birthdays are _not_ special occasions."

"B-but…" the boy continued to stammer as he followed Hibari towards the living room.

Hibari stopped and turned around. The child bumped into him, apologized, and moved back. Hibari looked down at him with a blank gaze, "when have I ever done anything for _your_ birthday, herbivore?"

Tsuna blinked. "But…Nii-chan doesn't need to. Just being allowed to be here is plenty." He looked down.

Hibari scoffed. How exasperating. The kid wasn't getting the message at all. "I hate birthdays. Do you want me to make it any clearer for you? I absolutely _loathe_ them."

Tsuna looked up in confusion. "H-hate birthdays? Why?"

"That's not something you need to know." Hibari turned and went into the living room.

"B-but…Tanaka-san gives Nii-chan a gift every year." the boy once again followed after him.

Hibari lay down on the couch. "That's Tanaka-san. She's…different."

"Different?"

"You don't need to know why."

Tsuna had stopped behind the couch. He looked away, "but…um…I already got Nii-chan a present."

Hibari very much wanted to smack a palm against his face. Or smack his fist against Tsuna's face. But he refrained from doing so. Instead, he sat up, brow quivering with annoyance, and gazed coldly at the boy. "I don't want it."

"B-but…"

"I _said_ I don't want it."

Tsuna deflated. "Hai. Then…some cake?"

Hibari clicked his tongue. "Fine." As Tsuna walked away dejectedly, Hibari added, "I want a big slice."

The boy looked just a little bit happier. "Hai."

Hibari lay back down. Stupid herbivore.

Tsuna came back a few minutes later, two plates in hand. He handed the one with the thick slice of cake to Hibari and went to sit in his little corner.

"Your homework?" Hibari asked as he ate the cake. Not too bad. The kid was getting good at this stuff.

"Done." Tsuna responded, eating his own little slice.

Silence. Hibari's phone rang. Suspecting that it was the Cavallone fool, he fished it out and flipped the top. He was right.

"What do you want?" he demanded as he put the device to his ear.

"Yo. Are you still sore about your defeat?" Dino chuckled. "Besides, I'm only the messenger; you didn't have to get so angry at me."

Hibari held a growl. He could still feel the lash from the whip when Dino had hit him across the cheek. He couldn't believe a _thing_ like that actually knew how to put up a decent fight. "You have three seconds to state what it is you called for before I hang up." he droned. He began the countdown immediately…three…

"Ah, wait! I phoned Iemitsu back an he said he wants to speak to you so I'm coming over!" the rush of words barely made it within the three second mark.

Hibari's tone gave nothing away. "Fine. You have three minutes."

"Wh-what?! Don't be unreasonable, Kyouya! It's not like I'm right outside your door or something!"

"Deal with it." Hibari hung up. Talking to that guy was taxing and it annoyed him.

Tsuna was looking at him curiously. "Was that Dino-san?"

"Hn."

The child didn't pursue the subject when no further explanation followed. He finished eating his cake and then stood. As he walked by the couch, Hibari held out his own empty plate. Tsuna took it. "Would Nii-chan like some coffee?"

"Make that tea."

"Hai."

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Hibari got to his feet and went to let in the visitor. "You're three minutes late." he said as he opened the door.

Dino was with Romario. The Cavallone boss scoffed. "And you're unreasonable."

Hibari turned around, leaving the door open. Dino and Romario stepped in, removed their shoes, and followed the younger man to the living room.

As Dino took a seat at the empty side of the couch, he grinned, "How's the birthday party that I wasn't invited to going? Where's Tsuna at?"

"Here." Tsuna responded as he came in. He greeted Romario and then walked over to the couch and set a white mug down on the table in front of Hibari. "Good evening, aniki."

"Hey, Tsuna." Dino smiled and patted the space between him and Hibari. Hibari felt irked. The couch could hold three people, certainly, but all the same, he'd rather have the whole thing to himself. But this was important so he could deal. For now.

"Hurry it up," he said as he picked up his mug and took a sip of the strong, bitter green tea.

Dino's phone was already in his hand and, at Hibari's request, he flipped it open. He found the right number and clicked call. "Yo, Iemitsu? Yeah…he's right here. Yeah, ok. Here."

Tsuna looked confused. Dino held the phone out. The boy was about to take it but Hibari beat him to it. He held it up to his ear and waited expectantly.

A deep voice spoke, "hello?"

"You wanted to talk, Iemitsu Sawada?" Hibari responded. "Then, please do so."

"Ahaha, you're a very to-the-point kind of guy, aren't you?" Iemitsu chuckled. "First of all, I wanted to thank you. For taking care of Tsuna."

"I didn't do it at your behest. You've nothing to thank me for." Hibari said, his voice blank.

Iemitsu laughed again, "always so brusque. You're exactly like your father, you know?"

Hibari stiffened. Tsuna must have heard the words too, seated close as he was, because he exchanged a puzzled glance with Dino. Hibari took his time responding to that, "and…how would you know that?"

"He…was a good friend of mine." Iemitsu replied, his tone a lot less cheery now.

Hibari narrowed his gaze. "I am quite aware of who my father's acquaintances were. You weren't ever mentioned."

"I don't suppose I would be." Iemitsu said. "We went our separate ways after high school."

Hibari frowned, "and…how did you know him before?" It had been a long time since he'd heard someone mention his father…or, at least, mention him with such familiarity.

Iemitsu chuckled, "we went to the same school, believe it or not."

Hibari had heard enough. Taking trips to the past was unnecessary. "What did you wish to talk to me about?"

"Aah, yeah. About Tsuna…as I told Dino to tell you, I want him to come to Italy."

Hibari and Tsuna both froze then. Hibari's jaw tightened. "He doesn't wish to. And…neither do I wish for him to."

"Yeah, I heard." Iemitsu's tone was light. "So, I've decided."

"On what?"

"We're going to come to Japan!"

This forced a surprised "eh…?" from the president of the Disciplinary Committee. Dino looked like he was trying to hold back laughter; "eh…?" was a very un-Hibari-like response. Tsuna was blinking like an owl.

Iemitsu laughed, "I know what you're like; you'd never agree to leave Namimori to come here. Your dad was the same. It was the source of a lot of our arguments when we used to discuss what we wanted to do when we grew up. Haha, and of course, I also know the effect my son has on people; there's no way you'll just let him go after five years of having him under your roof. It's easy to get attached to him."

Hibari should have felt indignation at this…but he didn't. Actually, he was quite stunned. Just like that, all his plans for keeping Tsuna here no matter what the kid's parents did seemed so petty. This Iemitsu guy was…unbelievable. What he serious? They were coming here? What for? They knew they couldn't set up home here, right?

"Why?" Hibari asked.

"Huh?" Iemitsu sounded confused. "Well…because Nana and I really wanna see our son. And…we really wanna meet you too."

Meet him? Whatever for? "Why?"

"Well…because we have a lot to be thankful for. And you're like our son too." Iemitsu chuckled.

Hibari narrowed his gaze. "Like our son too"…? "I have no taste for such bonds." he replied.

"That may be so but it doesn't change the fact that we feel that way about you. We'll be there on Friday."

"Make that Saturday."

"Why? It's not about school, is it? I was under the impression you didn't really…_go_ to school."

"No, but the herbivore does."

"You mean Tsuna?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Ok, then. We'll come on Saturday. We'll call you closer to the date to confirm the time."

"How many of you?"

"Just Nana and I."

"I won't tolerate people crowding in my home."

"Then…we'll take the two of you out. How about we go to a restaurant or something?"

The words had barely been spoken before Hibari responded. "No."

"Ahaha, people with the Hibari surname sure like to be difficult! So, what do you suggest?"

He looked at Tsuna, hanging on his every word. He frowned at the boy. Tsuna's eyes were pleading. Hibari didn't really feel like meeting up with the Sawadas but the herbivore wanted to. But why did Hibari have to be involved? He wanted nothing to do with Iemitsu and Nana.

After thinking through what would be more beneficial for the herbivore, Hibari sighed. "Fine, the restaurant will do."

"Ok!" Iemitsu's voice was bright and loud. Hibari's brow quivered. "We'll see you on Saturday then! Thanks for taking care of Tsuna for us!"

Hibari didn't bother with the "goodbye" and handed the phone back to Dino.

"Iemitsu? So, you guys are really coming, huh?" the blond man said. "Huh? Yeah, he's right here. Shall I give it to him?" He looked at Tsuna, one eyebrow cocked.

Tsuna was frozen. He then started waved his hands about, mouthing "no!" as he shook his head. Dino grinned, "he's still nervous." The boy's face turned crimson. "Uh-huh…yeah…" Dino frowned, "already? That'll be a surprise then! Haha, yeah…then, I'll see the two of you later. Give Mamma my greetings. Bye." He hung up and grinned down at Tsuna. "So, you're going to meet your parents on Saturday, huh? How to you feel?"

"A little nervous," Tsuna responded truthfully.

Dino chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Don't worry about it. Iemitsu's not the kind of guy you can be uncomfortable around."

Hibari was looking off to the side, his chin propped up on his fist. He wasn't paying the herbivores any attention. That man…had known his father. Had they really gone to school together?

Curiosity was a bad thing, because once it took hold, it wouldn't let go. Hibari got to his feet. "I'm going out." he informed.

Tsuna and Dino broke off their conversation. "Where to?" Dino asked.

"That's none of your business." Hibari said as he left the room. He walked to the entrance and paused to slip on his shoes and grab a jacket.

"Kyouya."

He paused as he opened the door and looked back. Dino and Tsuna were stood in the living room doorway. "What?"

Dino sighed. He turned to Tsuna. "I best get going. Take care, Tsuna." He walked towards Hibari, followed by Romario.

Hibari looked over at Tsuna. "There's school tomorrow, herbivore. Get to bed."

"H-hai." Tsuna mumbled.

Hibari stood to the side as Dino and Romario exited. He shut the door and, pulling out his key, he locked up. The kid never bothered locking the doors himself; Hibari was always the last one home. He went down the stairs after Dino and Romario and began parting ways.

"You're going to get info, aren't you?" Dino asked before the younger man had taken two steps in the other direction.

Hibari glanced back at him. "What of it?"

"Want a ride?"

"No."

Dino sighed. "Fine. But, don't you think you ought to tell Tsuna a little bit about your past? He trusts you blindly because he sees you as his saviour but, after he gets his parents back, do you think he'll rely on you as much when he doesn't even know anything about you?"

"This is the only reason you followed me out?" Hibari said, his face perfectly neutral.

Dino shrugged, "pretty much. I mean, think about it; he's a kid. He'll gravitate towards the people who he knows more and who treat him better. His parents won't hide anything from him now but you…"

"I'm not hiding anything from him." Hibari said. "He never asks so I see no reason to bring it up."

"Really?" Dino raised an eyebrow. "You know he's curious but you never tell him anything. He's too scared of angering you to bring it up."

Hibari was getting ticked off. "Does he actually tell you all this stuff or are you making it up?"

Dino laughed. "I don't have to make it up; it's all written on his face when he's in your presence."

"Hn." Hibari walked off. So annoying. Why could that man make better assumptions about Tsuna's state of mind than Hibari could?

"Night, Kyouya!" Dino called after him.

He made no response.

* * *

Seriyuu: there's a whole lot more drama to come. I like angst XD

* * *

**Omake** (crack section):

Hibari looked down at the book which had been shoved into his hands. _How to be a Good Brother for Dummies_. He looked back up at Dino.

The blond man grinned. "It should help, right?"

Hibari's eyes narrowed. "You have precisely three seconds to run before. I. End. You."

Dino cackled as he turned on his heel and ran like the wind. "I thought it was a good joke!"

Hibari finished his countdown and, taking up a baseball stance, he tossed the book as hard as he could. It sailed through the air…and the spine hit the back of Dino's head. The man went down, unconscious.

Hibari dusted his hands off and turned around. "It hurts being a big brother, does it not?"

I got the idea from Ellis. Thanks for that!


	16. The Past

"Nii-chan?" Tsuna called out from the kitchen doorway. "Dinner's ready."

He went to sit down at the table, where the food was already set out. He was happy today. Lately, he'd liked school a lot more, since he had Gokudera and Yamamoto to talk to. He was looking forward to Saturday, so he could meet his parents. And, today Nii-chan had come home early. He'd not said anything though. He'd been sitting in the living room, poring over two files he'd brought home.

Hibari came in. He stopped at Tsuna's seat and threw down the two files he'd been looking over before, and they landed just beside Tsuna's plate. Tsuna looked up in puzzlement. Hibari sat down on the other seat and began to eat.

"What're those?" Tsuna asked.

"Read them." Hibari said. "After dinner, though."

Tsuna frowned but nodded. So they ate in silence. He threw a lot of inquisitive glances in the direction of the files. When dinner finished, Hibari left the room. Tsuna cleaned up and then sat back down in his chair. He reached for the file on top.

He frowned when he opened it and saw the picture inside. This was…his dad, right? Short, darkish blond hair, brownish amber eyes, muscular build…well, it did say "Iemitsu Sawada" at the top of the document. It listed his date of birth and his date of death, hometown, family, qualifications, jobs, and other information.

"What am I supposed to be looking for?" Tsuna mumbled, flipping another page. There was a lot of information on Iemitsu's jobs, and the community service he'd done during his school years. He had been a diligent worker and many employers had given him good résumés. All his listed jobs were under the category of construction and construction management. He had no criminal offenses, which came as a surprise to Tsuna because Dino had been telling him about his dad being the second-in-command of the Vongola Famiglia in times of crisis the other day. But then again, it wasn't like he'd have let his involvement with the mafia be known, right?

Tsuna put Iemitsu's file back and picked up the other one. He was surprised. Kyouya Hibari? But the photo inside was of a man who was older than Nii-chan. His black hair was slightly longer, he was a bit stocky, he had a more defined jaw, and there was stubble along his chin. Other than that, they looked alike.

"Who's this…?" Tsuna muttered. Was it Nii-chan's dad? But he looked so young.

It stated that the man was deceased. He'd died eleven years ago. The date he'd died was…the fourth of May. Tsuna stared down at it in surprise. 4th May? Was that why Nii-chan hated birthdays? His father had died a day before…

Without knowing anything, Tsuna had gone ahead and tried to make a big deal out of it. He'd not known anything! No wonder Hibari hated the day! It probably brought back painful memories!

It took him a while to get over this. When he was relatively calm again, he continued reading. Had "Kyouya Hibari" still been alive, he would have been the same age as Iemitsu. The two of them had gone to the same schools throughout their lives; Nami Elementary, Nami Junior High, Nami High. The same schools as Nii-chan and Tsuna. Well, for two of the three schools it was true.

After that, Iemitsu's profile said that he'd gone on to work as a builder. "Kyouya Hibari" became the assistant chief of the Namimori Police Department (straightaway since he'd been such an outstanding officer). By the age of twenty-one, "Kyouya Hibari" had become the chief. Namimori saw drastic improvements in the crime rates. He was strict and dealt with criminals with a tight iron fist.

Because of that, he made many enemies. During a day out with his wife and child, he'd been surrounded by a bunch of those enemies. He'd tried his hardest to protect his wife and child and had sustained heavy injuries in the process, but despite his efforts, the woman, Yuriko Hibari, had been killed. "Kyouya Hibari" had managed to defeat all the criminals, but he'd died from a bullet to the head, just as he defeated his last opponent. His child had been the only one who'd survived.

Tsuna was frozen. This was Nii-chan's past! This was terrible! He'd gone through this kind of thing when he'd been so small! Tears came to the boy's eyes. To think…Nii-chan had had such a painful experience. Tsuna hadn't even imagined anything close to this when he thought about where and who Nii-chan's parents were!

It tore at his heart, the image of a little Kyouya Hibari, kneeling beside the inert bodies of his parents. What would his expression have been like then? Would he have cried? Would he have been paralysed by shock and fear? No way…this was so cruel…this was too much.

He took a deep breath and willed the tears to stop. Nii-chan didn't like the whole crying business. He picked up the files and left the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway of the living room. The TV was on, as usual, but Hibari wasn't watching it; he'd spread out some other files on the table and was looking through them.

As if feeling the boy's presence, Hibari sat up straight and glanced back. He saw Tsuna's trembling lip, the silent tears rolling down his cheeks (which wouldn't stop no matter how hard he tried), the hands clutching the files close to his chest. Hibari gestured the boy over. Tsuna wiped at his eyes and did as asked. Hibari budged to one side of the couch and Tsuna sat down.

"Wipe your face." the young man commanded.

The tears were still leaking. Tsuna wiped them again.

"Why're you crying?" Hibari asked with a blank tone. "It's not like it had anything to do with you."

"But…Nii-chan was…" Tsuna mumbled, but he didn't trust himself to say something more because his voice was shaking.

Hibari rolled his eyes. "What an herbivore."

The boy's cheeks flushed beneath his tears. He sat up and inhaled deeply to calm himself down. "But, Nii-chan…" he sniffled, wiping at his eyes once more, "doesn't…Nii-chan feel sad?"

Hibari didn't reply immediately. He leant forward to read from the file in front of him, pen in hand. "…there's nothing to be gained from holding onto the past." he said impassively.

Tsuna was awed. Nii-chan really was strong. "Then…don't you miss them?" He regretted asking that the moment the words were out of his mouth. Of course he'd miss them! They were his parents!

"Not particularly." Hibari said.

Tsuna blinked. "H-huh?"

"The past is the past; there's no use clinging to such emotions, like I said."

Tsuna frowned. "But, Nii-chan, you must remember them, right?"

"Of course. But "missing them" is something else entirely." Hibari straightened up and held his hand out for the files. "If that's all, return the files."

"Can I ask something first?" Tsuna mumbled, looking down at the files.

"What?"

"Why does Nii-chan's father have the same name as Nii-chan?" Opening the file for "Kyouya Hibari", the boy saw that, where it stated the name of offspring, there was a scribble. It had been crossed out so much that not a single character of the name that had been there could be read. And in every mention of the child in the account of "Kyouya Hibari's" death, the given name was scribbled out. What did that mean?

Hibari took the files from the boy's hands. "The name I bear is not the one I was given at birth." he said indifferently as he put the files to the side.

Tsuna frowned, "eh? Then…what's Nii-chan's real name?"

"My current name is still real." Hibari replied.

"I mean…what was Nii-chan's first given name? And…why was it changed?"

But long seconds passed and Hibari made no response. Tsuna sighed, giving up. But…why had Nii-chan chosen to let him know of this? He'd never brought it up before and he'd always thought that it was one of those things Hibari labelled as unnecessary or unimportant.

"Um…Nii-chan?" the boy mumbled.

Hibari looked up from his file. "Hn?"

"Why did…you let me know?"

"Bucking Horse was beginning to irritate me."

Tsuna blinked. "Huh?"

"I felt like it, that's why."

Why did Nii-chan always have to be so complicated? First, he always treated Tsuna with such indifference, and then he got angry about Tsuna being taken away, and then he'd overwhelmed Tsuna with this information of his parents' deaths.

Had something changed recently? Aside from his knowledge of his family's involvement with the mafia, everything was as it was before. Nii-chan had said aniki's name so maybe Dino had said something to him? Dino had said to Tsuna at one point that Hibari should tell Tsuna more about himself, because it wasn't really fair on Tsuna.

Tsuna had waved off his concern though, saying that whatever Nii-chan did was fine by him. All the same, Tsuna felt grateful for this…gesture, if it could be called such. Did Nii-chan feel that he had some obligation in telling Tsuna? That was unnecessary; Hibari didn't _have_ to do anything. Tsuna had accepted his Nii-chan as he was for the past five years and he'd been planning on doing so for as long as he'd remain under this roof…and for the rest of his life. Really, the one with the obligation to fulfil here was Tsuna, not Hibari; Tsuna was the one who was freeloading, after all.

Hibari straightened up and closed his file. "Go make me some coffee." he said.

At this, an unexpected smile tugged at Tsuna's lips. Normality. Nothing felt like it had changed. He was kind of grateful for that. He got to his feet and made his way to the door. "There's still some cake left, should I get you some?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Tuesday morning. Among the orderly queue of students entering the grounds, Hibari saw Tsuna approach the school gates. He glanced back at the school clock. "Hurry up, herbivore," he said, turning back. "You're almost late."

"I'm sorry." Tsuna mumbled. He didn't go on as Hibari had expected him to. Instead, he stopped and dug into his bag. He produced an opaque black box and held it out. "Nii-chan's bento."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. Since when did the herbivore make Hibari a bento? Most of the time, Hibari left home before Tsuna did, to open the school and such, and it wasn't a guarantee that they'd see one another during the day. And Tsuna usually arrived before Hibari came to close the gates so the chance of a meeting then wasn't definite either.

Tsuna flushed and looked down. "I thought…Nii-chan might like something from home."

"Your cooking's not _that_ good, herbivore." Hibari said, looking somewhat amused as he uncrossed his arms and took the box anyway. As thanks, he raised his other hand and ruffled Tsuna's hair.

Tsuna smiled and walked past him, into the grounds. Hibari looked around at the staring students. One cold look had them all moving along immediately. He looked down at the box. Had something changed?

Yesterday, he'd only let Tsuna read those files because he'd realised that Bucking Horse was right; that, pretty soon, when Tsuna got his parents back, he wouldn't place as much blind trust in Hibari as he used to. Hibari had made a startling discovery yesterday; he _wanted_ Tsuna to have faith in him. He'd never realised he valued the brat's opinion of him.

Later, in the Reception Room, he sat down on the windowsill to look over the students as they milled around the grounds. It was lunchtime now. He pulled the black bento box closer and opened it up and started to eat.

Not bad.

At night, when his patrols were over for the day and he retired home, he made sure to pick up the empty bento box and take it back.

Tsuna heard the door shut and, as usual, he came to greet his Nii-chan. "Okaeri nasai, Nii-chan." he smiled. Hibari went up to him and held out the box. "Make me another one tomorrow," he said, looking away.

Tsuna blinked and then looked down at the box. A slow second passed before he broke out into a smile, "hai." He took the box and turned and sauntered off to the kitchen. A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of Hibari's lips. Nothing had really changed, had it?

* * *

"You all right, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked.

Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at the baseball star. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure, Juudaime?" Gokudera asked. "You seemed like you were somewhere else today. Is everything okay?"

Tsuna nodded. How could he tell them he was worried about his parents coming over tomorrow? He'd told Yamamoto that his folks had died so it would only make matters difficult if he said that he'd been mistaken and they were alive and well, over in Italy. Gokudera already knew about it, of course. But Tsuna wanted to keep all news of the mafia from the baseball star. There was no need to complicate others' lives.

They were leaving the school grounds and walking towards the gates now. Everybody was relieved that it was Friday. They could relax for the weekend, take a load off. But Tsuna's load was increasing.

He was going to meet the parents he'd not seen for _five_ years. How was he supposed to react when he saw them? He didn't know them properly and the memories he had of them were very fuzzy. How was he supposed to greet them when he saw them? Should he say a polite and meek "hello"? Or a familiar "hey, guys!" or a more formal "good morning, mother, father"?

Well, the last one was out for sure. That was just weird! He sighed. He should stop worrying; he'd find out how he'd greet them when the time came…he had a feeling he was going to make an ass of himself though.

And the worry was back again. Why did worry chase him like a dog chased a stick?

"Oi, Tsuna, are you _sure_ you're okay?" Yamamoto asked.

Tsuna tried a smile. "Yup. Sorry, it's just…we're having some important visitors tomorrow." He'd heard talking helped. Why not give it a try?

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, "what kind of visitors?"

"Someone from…Nii-chan's family." Tsuna responded, thinking quickly.

"Oh, I see. His parents?"

"If he had parents, he wouldn't be living alone with Juudaime at this age." Gokudera responded with a derisive snort.

Tsuna wanted to smack his palm against his face. Why'd Gokudera have to say that? He could have used that. "Um…Nii-chan's…aunt and…uncle…are coming for the day and I'm nervous because I've never met them before and…" he trailed off. It sounded unconvincing to his own ears. He doubted Yamamoto would buy it.

"Oh, really?" Yamamoto chuckled and thumped the smaller boy on the back. "Good luck, Tsuna! I'm sure it'll be fine! It's not like they've any reason to hate you, right?"

Gokudera growled and snapped, "Don't be so close to the tenth, baseball-idiot!"

Ordinarily, Tsuna would have tried to get the two to stop as they started another fight, but today his mind was concerned with more important matters. He blinked. _It's not like they'll hate you…? _He sighed for the thousandth time that day. That was true…but still. It felt so awkward. As the week had drawn on, the possible scenarios kept playing out in his mind.

Maybe they'd get a phone call, telling them to come to so and so place. They'd get there and Tsuna would have a heart attack and die. The end. Ha. Ha. Very believable. Or maybe he and Nii-chan would meet his parents and then he'd get go into shock and Nii-chan would get annoyed and bite him to death. The end. Or maybe Nii-chan wouldn't like his parents and attempt to bite _them_ to death for daring to crowd around? What would Tsuna do then?!

"…na! Hey, Tsuna!" Yamamoto was shaking his shoulder. He snapped out of his daze and smiled apologetically, "Oh, sorry. What's up?"

They'd stopped walking at the crossroads where their paths split. Yamamoto looked worried. "Don't worry so much. It's not like you." He smiled. Tsuna found himself smiling back on reflex. The Takeshi Yamamoto Effect. "Y-yeah…"

Yamamoto jerked a thump over his shoulder. "Anyways, I'm gonna head home. See you on Monday."

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah. I can't hang out with you guys, again. Maybe next week? I'll _definitely_ try asking Nii-chan." He wondered if that was okay though, going out with his friends. They'd been talking about going to the arcade and stuff last week, but Tsuna hadn't dared ask Nii-chan if he could go so he'd turned down their offer. Nii-chan hated crowding, after all.

"It's all right, Juudaime." Gokudera said. "As long as we get to see Juudaime on Monday." He flashed the grin that was only ever directed at Tsuna.

Tsuna smiled back. "Thanks, Gokudera-kun. Then, I'll see you guys on Monday, hopefully."

Yamamoto smiled as he went left, "Yeah, later, guys."

"Hope you have a good weekend, Juudaime." Gokudera said as he walked the road straight ahead.

"Bye, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto." Tsuna called out as he went right.

He sighed as he increased his pace. He wanted to take a nap. He was feeling so tired. But there was still dinner to make, homework to do, ironing to do, laundry to hang out. It all sounded so tiring. If he didn't do it, though, Nii-chan would surely bite him to death.

Nothing had really changed after Monday evening. Nii-chan was as aloof as always. Although, Tsuna had noted, the man spoke to him just that tiny bit more. He was pleased about that.

At home, he was halfway through ironing the pile of clothes that had been washed yesterday when there was a knock at the door. He went to answer it.

"Yo, little bro!" Dino greeted with a grin.

"Aniki!" Tsuna exclaimed. He'd not heard from Dino in ages! Romario was standing behind his boss. "Hello, Romario-san." Tsuna greeted.

"Master Tsunayoshi." the middle-aged man bowed his head in greeting.

"Been a while, eh?" Dino said.

"Hai. I haven't heard from aniki all week!" Tsuna moved aside to let the men enter. "Please come in."

"Actually, we won't be staying." Dino said. He moved out of the way and Romario came forward and held out the suit bag he was holding onto. "This is for Master Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna blinked. "Eh?"

Dino chuckled. "I was exploring Japan, that's why I didn't get to come over. See, my work's done so I thought I'd chill out a bit. I'd have invited you to come with me but you know how Kyouya is about you going to school and all."

Tsuna had been frowning down at the bag that had been shoved into his hand by Romario but he looked up at Dino's words, "your work?"

"Yeah, to see if you'd make a suitable boss."

The boy groaned, "Aniki's still going on about that?"

"Ahaha, of course. You're gonna be a boss, little bro. Better shape up."

Tsuna didn't argue, mostly because his attention was taken up by the suit bag he held. "Um…Aniki? What's this for?"

Dino grinned. "Well, you don't own a suit, right? Kyouya told me. I wanted to get you something but I didn't know what. I got myself one so I thought I'd get you one too."

"E-eh?! Wh-why do I need suit, though?" Tsuna stammered.

The blond man thumped the boy's shoulder. "Just in case."

Tsuna frowned. "Um…okay. Th-thank you…I think…"

Dino chuckled. Tsuna hung the suit up on one of the coat pegs. "Won't you come in?"

The blond man shook his head. "I just came by because I wanted to tell you I'm leaving. My flight's tonight."

"Eh?! No way! B-but…but that's so sudden!" Tsuna stammered. Aniki was leaving?! How…sad…he'd come to really look up to this man. He hadn't thought Dino would be leaving so quickly!

Dino chuckled again and raised a hand and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "Don't miss me too much." He grinned.

Tsuna stared at him glumly, "B-but…is-is aniki going to come back?"

The man frowned, "The guy who's going to tutor you…let's just say, I know him very well, so I'll be around often." He grinned, though the gesture was somewhat forced and he looked a little pale at the thought.

Tsuna frowned, "tutor me?"

"Yup. The training to be a boss is going to start before long."

Tsuna blanched. Boss training? What on earth? "O-ok…um…b-but…why can't aniki stay?"

"I have a family to look after, Tsuna." Dino smiled, although it was a little rueful. "I'm going to miss you, little bro, but it won't be the last time you hear from me."

Tsuna smiled a little, relieved at those words. "That's good."

"Be a good boss, Tsuna." Dino smiled and, this time, it was a little more cheery. "I know you have what it takes."

Tsuna blushed a little at the praise. "Th-thank you." And before he knew what he was saying, he said, "I'll try my best." He'd not agreed to be a boss yet! What the hell?!

Dino chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair again, "that's great. Take care of yourself now. And say goodbye to Kyouya for me…oh, talking of Kyouya…!" He turned to look at Romario and the black-haired man held out a little plastic bag. Dino took the bag and held it out to Tsuna.

Puzzled, Tsuna took it and looked inside. There was a box with an Illustration of a violet and black mug on it. He laughed.

"I didn't get a chance to give it to him before now." Dino explained.

"I'm sure he didn't mind all that much. But, thank you, on behalf of Nii-chan." Tsuna smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Then, I'll be off. See you, Tsuna."

"Goodbye, aniki, Romario-san."

"Goodbye, Master Tsunayoshi." Dino's second-in-command responded.

Dino ruffled the kid's hair one more time before he and Romario turned and headed towards the stairs. Tsuna followed after them and watched until they were out of his sight. He then trudged back to the apartment.

He felt lonely now. He shut the door behind him, biting his lower lip to keep from crying. Aniki had said it himself that he'd see Tsuna again. There was no need to cry about it! Only herbivores cried! He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

He'd definitely see Dino again, he knew it. The conviction was unshakeable. He refused to believe that this was the last time he'd see his aniki.

But he'd never had anyone close to him departing so suddenly like that (aside from his parents in the past and…Ken-san, whom he barely remembered) so he didn't know if he should cry over it or not.

Well, in general, the rule was "don't cry, no matter what", since crying was the action of an herbivore. Dino had been pretty okay with leaving so Tsuna should be too. And anyway, if he ever felt so upset about not being able to see his second brother, he could always get Dino's number off Nii-chan and call him, right? That was…if Nii-chan gave it. Oh! He could ask his father tomorrow!

No way…meeting for the first time in over five years and asking for favours already? They'd think he was more concerned about someone else than about being with them! What a dilemma! Oh, well, he was sure a solution would make itself known to him somehow. Aniki was someone who had come to be irreplaceable to him, after all.

By the time he got back to his ironing, he was feeling a little happier.

* * *

I felt like I overdid it with the name thing...oh, well.

* * *

**Omake** (i.e. crack section):

Vongola's Decimo prodded the pineapple on the table in front of him. He frowned. When was that bastard going to come out? He'd been sat here a good long while, staring down at the pineapple. He believed something would come out…he could have sworn he saw Mukuro enter the kitchen just before the Sky had.

He had many suspicions about Mukuro's true identity. Tsunayoshi's investigation had led him to believe that Mukuro was definitely hiding something. In the mornings, when Tsunayoshi went to check up on the Mist Guardian, he found a pineapple in the bed.

He believed Mukuro slept _in_ the pineapple. And when he disappeared without a word and there was merely a pineapple left where he had been, Tsuna was sure the man went into the pineapple.

"Oya, Tsunayoshi-kun? Is something wrong?"

He blinked as he looked down at the pineapple.

A little square had been cut out from within the pineapple and a tiny little figure emerged. The tiny figure had dark blue hair and he carried a trident.

"HII! I KNEW IT! I _KNEW_ IT! PINEAPPLE-PEOPLE _DO_ EXIST!" the boss screamed as he shot off the chair and out of the room. "PINEAPPLE-PEOPLE! I SEE PINEAPPLE-PEOPLE!"

Mukuro emerged from behind the refrigerator. "Kufufu, so gullible, Vongola," he said as he went over to the table and picked up the tiny remote-control Mukuro-doll.

He then reached for the pineapple and took it apart. It was hollow inside. Grinning to himself, he started cutting it up so he could eat. Aah, being in the Vongola mansion was fun. Lol, pineapple-people...


	17. Dining Out

"I-is this really necessary?" Tsuna asked, standing in front of the open door of the wardrobe. He was looking at himself in the full-length mirror on the inside. "I-it feels so formal."

"It doesn't matter." Hibari said as he fixed the black tie around his neck and pulled down the collar of his white shirt. "It wouldn't hurt to make a good impression."

Tsuna stared at his reflection unhappily. Why did he have to wear a _suit_? He was going to meet his parents, not the emperor or something! "But…they're only my parents."

"Hurry up." Hibari shrugged on his suit jacket and walked out of the room, a pair of brand new black socks in hand. "It's almost time."

Tsuna was still staring at his reflection. For the first time in his life, he was wearing a suit. A _suit_! Like, what the hell was with this?!

It was the one Dino had given him yesterday. It was just like Hibari's; black pants, jacket, and tie, but, strangely, his shirt was orange. Whoever wore orange shirts with a suit? He'd only ever seen people wearing white or other _very_ light colours. And what was more surprising was that Nii-chan had said it suited him. So he didn't mind the colour all that much…although he'd still rather just dress up in casual gear.

Sighing, he tightened his tie (Nii-chan had showed him how to tie it), fixed his collar, and then straightened out his jacket. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to get it to not stick up as much. As usual, his attempts at taming his wild mane ended in failure. With another sigh, he closed the door of the wardrobe and walked out of the room.

His discomfort with wearing a suit aside, he was still anxious about what to do when he met his parents. They would be here any minute now! It was practically six 'o' clock already! Despite his wishing for the day to go by slowly so that he could put off the appointed time, everything seemed to have fast forwarded to this moment.

How was he going to greet them? What if they disapproved of Nii-chan and tried to take Tsuna away to Italy? What if they got disappointed in the person their son had become? What if their expectations of him fell short? Well, they shouldn't have any big expectations because Dino had already said that Iemitsu knew everything there was to know about Tsuna.

He went to the living room. "Your face is an eyesore." Hibari commented from his seat on the couch.

"I-I can't help it." Tsuna said defensively as he also sat down, trying his hardest to lift the depressed look on his face. "I'm nervous."

"What's there to be nervous about?" Hibari scoffed.

Tsuna shrugged. "They…I don't know them. They don't know me."

"Nonetheless, it'll be fine." Hibari said offhandedly. "They won't judge you."

Tsuna nodded. "I-I know…but it's still awkward." His heart was racing and butterflies were fluttering around in his stomach. He doubled over, trying to will away his anxiety. Of course, it didn't work.

He was still doubled over like that when, a few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. He bolted upright and stared at Hibari with wide eyes.

"Go answer it." Hibari ordered.

"B-but…"

"_Go_." cold blue eyes bore into Tsuna's fearful brown ones. The boy gulped and got to his feet. "Hai." He let his unsteady feet take him out of the room, down the hall, and to the front door. He raised a shaky hand to the door handle and pushed it down. Taking in deep breaths – while ordering himself to _stop hyperventilating, dammit!_ – he pulled open the door.

In the corridor stood a couple, their arms linked loosely. The man was muscular, tall, and blond while the woman was thin, petite, and brunette. Both were dressed in suits, though the woman wore a knee-length skirt instead of trousers. The man was grinning widely and the woman was smiling a small smile. They both looked very friendly.

Tsuna's heart was racing so much harder. He'd seen Iemitsu's picture a while ago so he pretty much knew what his father looked like, but the face he'd thought he'd forgotten, his mother's, was instantly recognisable. Much of his own features were like hers. So that's where he got his small frame and his looks from.

When they saw him, their happy expressions dimmed down to be replaced by…sadness? Regret? But the smiles were back almost immediately. Iemitsu was the first to speak. "Hey, Tsuna!"

Tsuna, catching himself staring unabashedly at their faces, turned his gaze downward. "Um…" what was he supposed to say? "H-hello…?"

"Tsuna…"

He looked up at the source of the gentle voice. Nana had tears in her eyes, and a hand over her mouth. She took her arm from Iemitsu's and all but staggered forward…into her surprised son's arms.

"Wh-whoa…!" Tsuna cried out as he caught her. It took a huge effort to stay upright and not topple over like he was apt to do. It really wouldn't to do make an ass of himself right now.

Her arms wound tightly around his head and she hugged him close. "Tsuna…" She was crying openly now. Tsuna's own tears had been threatening to spill and he'd done a fairly good job or keeping them in check but, once he heard his mother crying, he couldn't hold them back no matter how hard he tried. He wound one awkward arm around her and rested his head on her shoulder. "M-mom…"

He felt a hand on his head and looked over Nana's shoulder to see Iemitsu standing a little closer now, a small smile curling his lips. His other hand was resting on his wife's shoulder, squeezing it gently in reassurance. Tsuna smiled shakily and Iemitsu gave his hair a good ruffle.

It was an awkward moment, embarrassing yet happy at the same. Tsuna wasn't used to this stuff so he let his parents direct what happened. It had been so long since he'd been held in these arms, since he'd felt this warmth, since he'd felt so…at peace…

They were interrupted a few seconds later by a low cough behind them. Tsuna jerked back, out of his mother's arms. His face was flushed bright red with embarrassment and he quickly wiped at his eyes. Nii-chan didn't like all this herbivorous stuff.

Iemitsu chuckled as he gazed towards the source of the cough, "so we meet at last, Hibari-kun."

"Hn," was Hibari's response. He was leaning against the doorway of the living room, his arms folded across his chest. He looked nonchalant, unruffled by the little family reunion.

"You're looking very smart, Tsu-kun," Nana commented, looking at the suit. "What's the occasion?"

Tsuna flushed at the nickname. "W-well, you guys are kitted up pretty formally yourselves."

Iemitsu hummed thoughtfully. "Well…spending five years surrounded by people who wears suits day in day out really rubbed off on us." He grinned.

Tsuna laughed weakly, "r-really? How strange."

"It's not all that strange." Nana replied. "We're used to it."

"So," Iemitsu said, "we going out to eat or what? Personally, I think the lunch we had in the plane a few hours ago sucked."

Tsuna looked back at Hibari. "Shall we go?"

"By all means." Hibari responded coolly. He walked over to the group of three and slipped on his shoes while Iemitsu and Nana backed up a little. Tsuna pulled on his school shoes, thankful that they were formal enough to match with the suit and he didn't look too ridiculous.

He stepped out of the apartment and the Sawadas waited as Hibari locked up. Tsuna felt a hand in his and turned to look at his mother. She smiled. "So, how was life like without your mother around, hmm?"

Tsuna gave her a shaky smile of his own. "Um…I guess…it was a little difficult."

Her expression couldn't get any softer. "I'm sorry we didn't come back for you."  
He shook his head. Any sour feelings he'd had towards his parents for leaving him out on the streets to fend for himself right after the fire had long since dissipated. The relief, the sheer happiness that they were still alive had overwhelmed him and overridden all his other feelings. And, anyway…"It's okay. If you had, I might never have…" he turned his head around, until he could see Hibari out of the corner of his eye, walking behind him as the group descended the stairs, "met Nii-chan."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "You like being a freeloader."

Tsuna's face turned red as he faced front again. "N-no! Th-that's not what I meant, Nii-chan!"

Nana looked back at Hibari too, her smile bright. "I meant to say this sooner but, thank you so much for taking care of Tsu-kun, Kyouya-kun!"

Iemitsu thumped the younger man on the back. "Yeah, we're indebted to you."

Hibari's shoulders stiffened at the contact. His gaze narrowed. "Your appreciation is unnecessary. It was for personal gain."

Tsuna frowned as he looked at the young man over his shoulder. Personal gain?

"And, what was that gain?" Iemitsu asked, looking amused.

They emerged outside and Nana led Tsuna towards a shiny black car. Tsuna listened intently for Hibari's response. But he was disappointed when Hibari spoke, "That's none of your business."

Iemitsu chuckled. "You really do remind me of your dad."

Hibari said nothing in response. They got to the car. Iemitsu slipped into the driver's seat. Nana took the back seat with Tsuna so Hibari slid into the front passenger seat.

"Wh-where'd you guys get the car?" Tsuna asked, looking around the interior of the vehicle. It was quite luxurious, with black leather seats and a roomy interior. He was sure it was a big brand name car.

"Vongola has lots of contacts in Japan." Iemitsu informed as he started the vehicle up and pulled away from the curb. "So, where would you guys like to go?"

"We don't make it a habit to eat out." Hibari said. "The herbivore does all the cooking."

Where in the conversation had it been necessary to say that?! Didn't he usually keep his sentences concise?! Tsuna still felt nervous! What if his parents disapproved of him being in the kitchen…or something? Even the littlest things might turn out to be worrisome; what if it had a negative impact on the way his parents saw him?

"Ahaha, really? Tsuna, you must be as good as your mom, then!" Iemitsu grinned at Tsuna through the rear-view mirror.

"Anata," Nana mumbled, blushing a little.

Tsuna flushed, feeling a little relieved. "W-well, I-I'm not that good yet."

Hibari turned his head just enough to gaze at Tsuna out of the corner of his eye. "It's sufficient."

Tsuna blinked. Was that a…Whoa! Seriously?! Was that a compliment?! How rare! His face went even redder…wait, wait, that _was_ a compliment, right? He sighed. There was just no telling with Nii-chan.

The hand holding his own tightened its grasp gently. He looked at his mother. She raised her other hand to his face and laid it against his cheek. "So, Tsuna," she said, "how are you?"

He smiled and, this time, it was a little more confident. The hand on his cheek was so warm. "I'm…really good." he mumbled. "And…what about you?"

"What can I tell you, Tsu-kun? Knowing you were out there, alone, but not being able to go to you…there were a lot of times when I made it hard on your father, demanding that we go back immediately to get you…" She looked apologetically at her husband. "And I…wasn't exactly happy when he told me all that stuff about the Vongola. But," she shrugged, "the whole…mafia thing is…not as scary as they make it out to be in the movies. For one thing, your father has promised me that nothing bad will happen to you, that you'll be strong enough to take care of yourself and everyone around you." She smiled.

Tsuna blinked. Expectations? Already? B-but they'd just met! And there was no way he could live up to such high standards! "But…I don't…I don't want to be…a mafia boss."

Nana's face took on a questioning look. Iemitsu's eyes, as seen through the rear-view mirror, narrowed in a puzzled frown. "The die has already been cast, Tsuna. It's too late to refuse."

Tsuna stiffened. He'd thought as much. But he didn't want to be a mafia boss! He'd never decided any of this stuff for himself! And besides, there was only one person who meant so much to him that he'd bring out that hidden power inside to protect them should anything bad happen, and that was Nii-chan…

In recent times, though, the number of people in that category had grown, hadn't it? There was Dino, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Nana, and Iemitsu (the latter two fit in unconditionally); if anything happened to any of them, he _would_ do something about it. That was what being brought up by Nii-chan had taught him; if there's something worth protecting, one must do all one can to preserve it.

"You can get the finer details from your father later, okay?" Nana said, smoothing back her son's hair. "For now, let's just enjoy the reunion."

Although he still felt a little uncomfortable with everyone's persistence that he was going to be a mafia boss, Tsuna agreed with his mother; he couldn't let thoughts like that worry him when the parents he'd missed so much were right in front of him, and they'd especially come for him. "Hai."

"One question for Hibari-kun, though," Iemitsu said, his tone somewhat guarded, "does it bother you that Tsuna's part of a mafia family?"

Hibari's face gave nothing away. "Not especially. The herbivore can do whatever he wishes, just as long as his actions don't interfere with the order in Namimori."

Tsuna frowned. He'd always thought Nii-chan was far stricter than that. Iemitsu let out a laugh. "I thought as much! You're like Kyou-chan through and through! If I didn't know any better, I'd have said you _were_ Kyou-chan!" His amusement died down quickly though, and he said, "that reminds me. The name you bear isn't the one your parents gave you. You changed it, didn't you?"

Tsuna's ears perked and he sat up a little straighter. Since Monday, he'd not broached this subject again, though he'd thought a lot about what he'd read. "What of it?" Hibari challenged.

Iemitsu smiled. "I'm just curious. Why would you take on your father's name?"

"Call it a tribute…or a vow." Hibari's tone was reluctant.

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, brows furrowed. A vow? To whom? To do what? Iemitsu frowned. "Now, why would a seven-year-old child forsake his own name upon the death of his parents, and what kind of a vow would he make?"

Hibari looked out of the car window. "If you knew my father at all, I believe you'd understand."

"Then…I guess I might."

"Enlighten me, please."

"Your father loved this town more than anything." Iemitsu said, a soft smile on his lips. "He'd have done anything to protect it. Now, since you're so much like him, maybe this has always been your wish too? Your father died as a result of doing anything he could for Namimori…maybe your wish upon his death was to take up his position and, with the position, you took up his name too?"

Silence reigned in the car. Nana was still clutching Tsuna's hand, though any conversation she'd wanted to make with her son had been put on hold to hear the men talking. Tsuna was leaning forward in his seat, the elbow of his free arm propped up on the shoulder of the driver's seat.

He was so anxious to hear the response. He'd never have even guessed at the stuff his father was saying! Just what kind of a childhood had his Nii-chan had?

When Hibari finally spoke, his tone was distant, "perhaps you're right."

Iemitsu sighed, "of course I am. While Kyou-chan was the type of person who didn't give away much about himself, to me, he was one of the easiest people to read."

Hibari said nothing to this. Tsuna's expression was one of distress. That Hibari had made such a vow, at such an age, under such circumstances...even then, Nii-chan had been strong. It made Tsuna feel all the more conscious of how weak he was.

The boy sighed minutely. Hibari turned his head around to look at Tsuna. He raised an eyebrow. "What's with that face, herbivore?"

Tsuna looked away, trying to clear his expression. But, no matter how hard he tried, he could never quite manage the perfect blankness that Hibari always conveyed. His sadness was in plain sight. "N-nothing…"

"You guys all right to go an Italian restaurant?" Iemitsu asked. "I know this one place. I took your mom there on one of our first few dates, Tsuna."

A smattering of red spread across Nana's cheeks, "I think I remember that. Our first kiss…"

Iemitsu grinned widely. "That's the one!"

Tsuna should have gagged. After all, that was what kids did when they heard old stories of the romantic sort from their own parents, right? Instead of doing that, he smiled. It was kind of cute, knowing that all these years had passed and they still loved one another.

"Anyway, you had Italian food before, Tsuna?" Iemitsu asked. "You're going to be in Italy a lot so you might as well start getting used to it!" he grinned.

Dino had said much the same thing, that time on Nami-chuu's roof. Tsuna frowned. "I'm going to be in Italy a lot? I thought…I said I don't want to…but…Aniki…I mean…I don't want to go to Italy!"

Nana's expression turned sad. Iemitsu's eyes hardened just a little. Hibari's gaze narrowed. It was the latter who spoke, "Nobody said you have to."

"I disagree with you on that one." Iemitsu said in a low tone of voice. His expression was unreadable. "I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do, Tsuna, but this is the fate that's been chosen for you."

Tsuna gritted his teeth. "Why do I have to be all right with something that I wasn't asked about, that I didn't even know about until a week ago?" he asked quietly. How could his father do this? Why would Tsuna even want to be a mafia boss in the first place? Delinquents scared him; the _mafia_ was something else entirely!

Besides, wouldn't it be kind of thankless on Tsuna's part to become involved in something that operated outside of the law? On the rare occasions he'd thought about what kind of a future he'd have, he'd always pictured himself leading a respectable life…probably working in an office or something (no matter how boring that sounded). As his thanks to Nii-chan, he'd grow up to be a decent person. And decent people did _not_ become the boss of mafia families.

Iemitsu sighed. "Let's not talk about this now, okay?"

Tsuna _wanted_ to talk about it now. But he kept quiet. Suddenly, his enthusiasm for having met his parents after so long dimmed down. He was silent, despite Nana's questions about school and who his friends were and what they were like, etc.

He couldn't answer her…because she'd known about this beforehand and she'd not even bothered to contact him! What kind of a mother would tolerate the knowledge of her son being stuck out on the streets?! She could have done something about it, couldn't she?! She could have saved Tsuna from a lot of heartache, couldn't she?! She could have rescued him when it felt like his world had been falling apart, couldn't she?! She could have consoled him when he'd felt like he'd lost all reason to live, _couldn't she_?!

He'd torn his hand out of her grasp and turned to face the window. As the silent ride continued, his anger began to fade. He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to look at Nana. She looked miserable. Guilt pulled at his heart. "S-sorry…mom." he stammered.

She'd said she'd tried to come to him…she hadn't sat by idly while he'd suffered. She had followed along with what she had thought would be best. No mother could sit by and let her son suffer for no reason, right? She was not to blame here. And he'd already decided he was glad he'd met Nii-chan, right?

She smiled a small smile. "It's all right, Tsu-kun."

Still, he wanted some answers on what would happen from here on out. But…looking at his mother's smile becoming a little more sincere, he decided he could wait.

* * *

"So, what would you boys like to eat?" Iemitsu asked, the bottom of his large red menu bent at the middle so it stood up on its own on the table.

The four of them were in the restaurant and were seated at a round table. The appetisers had been served and a waiter was now standing by to take their orders.

The restaurant was quite luxurious with its mahogany tables, red drapes, and soft creamy walls. It was crowded yet not overly loud; everyone was talking in low tones, as if in accordance with the quietness within this place. Soft music could be heard playing from somewhere.

The atmosphere was relaxing. As such, Tsuna had to keep blinking to keep himself awake, Hibari observed. The kid had had a tough day today; he'd woken up extra early in the morning and he'd been trying to keep himself busy so he wouldn't feel his anxiousness quite so much. After an early breakfast, he'd vacuumed the whole apartment, and then he'd cleaned the windows, ironed the washed clothes, put them away, did the shopping, and even squeezed in some homework.

However, despite his best efforts, as everyone pored over their menus, he began to drift off. But Iemitsu's question jerked him wake. "Um…I-I'll have whatever Nii-chan has." He looked over at Hibari.

Hibari looked down at the menu. He picked a pasta dish with a nice illustration and said it out, along with a side of salad. For the second course, he decided, he'd have tuna. The waiter took down Nana and Iemitsu's orders too and then left with the menus. Iemitsu clasped his hands at the edge of the table before him and grinned at the boys. "So, what do you boys get up to on an average day?"

"N-nothing much," Tsuna mumbled.

Iemitsu looked to Hibari, hoping for a better answer. "What he said," Hibari said.

The blond man sighed. "Not ones for conversation, are you?"

Tsuna smiled apologetically. Hibari felt kind of sorry for the herbivore; since he didn't meet many new people, his knowledge of how to interact with others was limited to how he was treated by his classmates and his Nii-chan.

But, that should change soon, Hibari mused, since Tsuna now had friends. Tsuna seemed to have come up with the idea that having friends was against Hibari's unwritten rules but Hibari really didn't care as long as the brat didn't start messing around with the wrong sort of people. And as long as he didn't bring any one of them home.

"Leave them alone," Nana chastised good-naturedly, "Tsu-kun's probably at a loss. I mean, how would _you_ react if you suddenly found out your parents were alive?"

Iemitsu chuckled, "that's a fair point."

"Um…I don't…it's just that…" Tsuna began. He looked down when the words didn't come. He seemed embarrassed. "I don't…know…I mean…"

Nana reached over the space between her seat and Tsuna's and put a hand on her son's arm. Tsuna looked up and she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "There's no need to be self-conscious, Tsu-kun. We're your parents; what we feel more than anything right now is happiness at being able to finally see you and talk to you."

"That's right." Iemitsu grinned. "I was happy knowing you were okay, Tsuna, but you don't know how hard it is for a parent to stay away from their own kid, to let em know everything's fine and it's going to work out in the end."

Tsuna stared at Iemitsu with understanding. "Dad…"

Iemitsu looked away, hand covering his eyes. "N-Nana, I think I'm going to get emotional…"

At this, an unexpected laugh escaped Tsuna's mouth. When his parents looked at him, he turned his gaze away. "S-sorry, I just…"

Iemitsu grinned, "Silly kid, I was joking! A man shouldn't cry so openly, you know?"

Tsuna smiled and nodded. "Yeah…"

"So, Kyouya-kun," Nana began, "what is it that you do? Tsuna's father tells me you don't go to school."

"Didn't I tell you?" Iemitsu said. "He protects Namimori."

She smiled. "Really? That's a big job for a child."

"I'm not a child." Hibari said evenly, not letting on to the sudden annoyance he felt. There was no point ruining this for the herbivore; he'd been looking forward to this day all week.

Iemitsu laughed. "Kyou-chan always used to say that too. It's really incredible how like your father you are, Hibari-kun."

"Hn." Hibari's gaze narrowed. "About my father…did he know of your involvement with the mafia?"

Iemitsu nodded. "Yup. Of course, he disapproved but, just like you, he said as long as I didn't mix in any of that business with Namimori, he couldn't care less."

"How long did the two of you know one another?"

"Since the first year of primary school till we graduated from Nami High. After I started working for the Vongola, I occasionally contacted him when I came back home but, after he became the chief of police, he was too busy with work to pop out for a drink so we eventually got out of touch."

Of course he would be, Hibari reasoned. His father had worked tirelessly to make Namimori more peaceful. He'd barely had a life outside of work because the job had been that demanding. But he'd pulled it off anyway. He had been incredible.

"Your father…" Iemitsu continued, his gaze regretful, "he was a strong person."

What was that supposed to be? Condolence? How pointless. Hibari's face remained blank. "Naturally."

Iemitsu smiled, though the gesture was still a little sad. "He was a good friend of mine…and I didn't even know he had a kid! Who would have thought we'd meet under such circumstances, eh?"

Hibari made no response to this. There was an awkward silence.

"So…Tsu-kun, how's school?" Nana asked. "Tell me about your friends."

"Um…well, there's Yamamoto." Tsuna began, weaving a paper napkin through his fingers and staring hard at it. "H-he's really cool. He plays baseball. He's the best in our school! And there's Gokudera-kun; he's part of the mafia, b-but I guess you already know that, right?"

Nana smiled. "I've heard about him, yes."

Hibari remained silent as the Sawadas continued to talk about Tsuna's school life, asking him all manner of questions on what subjects he liked and what he disliked and what he had hoped to be when he grew up. Hibari listened intently.

"Um…s-something like…maybe I'd work in an office?" Tsuna said timidly, sneaking a furtive glace at Hibari.

Hibari scoffed. "Boring."

Tsuna stiffened a little. "Th-then, maybe…a chef?" he suggested, his cheeks a little flushed as he looked down.

Hibari bit the inside of his cheek as a small smile threatened to break out across his lips. A chef. He could actually see that. "You'll never have the right level of skill to work as a professional." he said.

"Oh." Tsuna mumbled glumly, his face red. "Then…a teacher?"

"Teaching what? How to be a loser?"

Tsuna's face was burning. Iemitsu sighed, "That was harsh." Nana comforted her son while frowning disapprovingly at Hibari. "That wasn't very nice, Kyouya-kun. I'm sure there's something Tsuna's good at."

"Being an herbivore." Hibari said with nonchalance.

Iemitsu snickered. Nana smacked his arm lightly and he grinned apologetically, hands held up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. I just thought it was funny." He sighed. "Anyway, I know there's something Tsuna's good at. He has the potential to be a good boss."

Tsuna jerked up, embarrassment now forgotten. "About that…I already said I didn't…"

"And I told you, Tsuna; it's too late to refuse." Iemitsu said gravely. "You _are_ going to be the boss of the Vongola Famiglia."

Hibari could see that Tsuna was getting aggravated. "But that's not something I decided for myself." the boy said. "I-I didn't want to ruin this day…because I-I didn't want you guys to be upset or anything at all…but…wh-why do you keep saying I have to?! H-how can you be so cold?! You're my parents, aren't you?!" His voice was loud enough to draw a few confused stares from the nearby tables.

"Tsuna…" Nana mumbled.

Iemitsu's gaze was unforgiving. "You'll learn that this is the best life for you, Tsuna. It's your destiny."

"I don't care about stuff like that!" the boy snapped. "That choice wasn't one I made for myself…or one that Nii-chan made for me! I don't want it!" He got to his feet, brown eyes narrowed in defiance. "I'll never accept it!" He turned and ran.

"Tsu-kun!" Nana called out.

Iemitsu got to his feet. "Tsuna, come back!"

But Tsuna didn't listen. His father was about to go after him but Hibari stood up too. "He'll be back." he said in his blank tone. He started on the path the herbivore had gone down. Lately, the instances where Tsuna had yelled had been increasing. And it always had something to do with his parents. It was quite surprising; usually, Tsuna was a pleasant child.

Hibari stepped out of the restaurant and looked around. Tsuna sure ran fast when the situation was dire, didn't he? He was already down the street. Hibari sighed. He was tempted to just get out a tonfa and lob it at the boy's head (he had a hell of a good aim). He wasn't one for chasing people up, after all.

But, he was being indulgent today. It was a big day for the boy. So he started to run. It didn't take long to catch up. "Herbivore." he stated as he slowed and then stopped.

Tsuna looked over his shoulder, his steps immediately faltering. "N-Nii-chan…!"

Hibari looked down at the boy as Tsuna walked back to him. "Aren't you happy? You got your parents back, didn't you?"

Tsuna's shoulders shook. He didn't look up at Hibari as he spoke. "I am…But…I don't want this. I don't want to have a decision forced on me by people who I thought were dead for years. They can't…they can't just…come back and expect me to be okay with whatever they say…"

"So?" Hibari challenged. "Don't just cry about it, herbivore. What are you going to do?"

Tsuna looked away and wiped at his glassy eyes. "I-I don't know…"

"What's so bad about being a mafia boss anyway?" Hibari mused.

"B-but…good people aren't in the mafia and…and anyway, I don't have what it takes."

Hibari scoffed. "Whether or not the first part is true is a matter of opinion. Loathe as I am to admit it, the Bucking Horse isn't too nasty a person and he's in the mafia." When he saw Dino again, he would bite him to death for making him use such an example. But, right now, Tsuna needed some sense talked into him. "As for the second part, that's not something you'll know for sure unless you try."

Tsuna frowned. "But, Nii-chan, wouldn't it be bad if I got mixed up with such people?"

"Why?"

"Because…because I..." he looked down, cheeks red, "I wanted to be someone Nii-chan could be…p-proud of…"

Hibari cocked an eyebrow. He raised a hand to the herbivore's head and tilted it back so that Tsuna was looking up at him. "I'm not bothered. You can do whatever you want. I won't think badly of you for it."

"But…" Tsuna mumbled, his face glum. "Being a mafia boss…"

"…Is something you have the potential for."

Tsuna looked surprised. "H-huh?"

"You're not incapable." Hibari said, his tone blank. "When you put your mind to something, you know you can do it, right?"

Tsuna looked awed. It was no wonder; Hibari didn't often say things like that. He didn't often praise. A small blush streaked across the boy's cheeks and he looked down. "B-but…being in the mafia isn't…it won't be good for me to turn to that kind of life…after everything Nii-chan did for me…"

"It doesn't bother me. Whatever you decide to do with yourself, it's not like I'm going to kick you out or anything."

"Nii-chan…" Tsuna sighed and looked away again. "But…I don't want to leave Namimori. I don't want to go to Italy."

"Then we'll just have to come with some kind of agreement with your parents, won't we?" Hibari said easily.

Tsuna stared up at him with big, innocent eyes. He blinked. And then a slow smile spread across his lips. "Hai!"

Hibari ruffled his hair. "Then, let's head back."

"Hai."

They walked back to the restaurant. Looking over at the table Iemitsu and Nana were sitting at, they saw that the food had been served. But Nana and Iemitsu weren't eating. They were talking. Nana looked distressed and Iemitsu looked weary. But when they saw Tsuna and Hibari approaching, they both sat up properly.

Tsuna stopped by the back of his seat and looked down at the table. "I-I'm sorry…that wasn't very nice of me."

Both his parents smiled in relief. Iemitsu then grinned. "Don't worry about it. Let's just promise not to talk about your being a boss right now, okay? There'll be plenty of time for that later!"

Tsuna smiled and sat down. "Hai."

Nana breathed a sigh of relief. They began eating. Hibari kept quiet, only speaking in one-word answers when he was asked a question about his life by Nana. Iemitsu told jokes, which Tsuna laughed at with obvious effort. Nana asked more questions of her son. Tsuna asked about Italy. And so the meal continued without a single mention of "Vongola Famiglia" "going to Italy" or "mafia boss".

* * *

I hope the "reunion scene" wasn't too much...truth be told, I'm not much good at writing realistic portrayals of things like that... :\ and yes, to _Seriyuu_, Reborn is going to come soon, which means the end is near.

* * *

**Omake: **

_The Pineapple-People Part Two: _

Tsuna caught sight of his Storm Guardian and ran up to him. "Gokudera-kun! Gokudera-kun!"

Gokudera looked down at his boss, worry apparent on his face. "What's wrong, Juudaime?!"

Tsuna took hold of his sleeve and tugged him along. "P-pineapple-people! I see pineapple-people!"

"J-Juudaime?" Gokudera stammered, stumbling after his boss. "I-is something wrong?"

"Pineapple-people!" Tsuna screeched.

They got to the kitchen. Tsunayoshi's eyes popped out of his head. "Where's the pineapple?!"

"Oya, Vongola?" Mukuro said, stopping behind them.

Gokudera frowned as Tsunayoshi screeched again. "G-Gokudera-kun! This guy came out of a pineapple! He's a pineapple-person!"

The Storm Guardian did not know what to make of that. Was…his boss okay? "Mukuro, what's going on?" he asked.

Mukuro shrugged. "I came to get a snack but I heard Vongola here screaming his head off."

Tsuna looked up at Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun, this guy went into a pineapple! You have to believe me!"

Gokudera was torn between wanting to believe his boss's words and following logic. "J-Juudaime…i-it was probably an illusion…" Yes! That had to be it! He glared at Mukuro. "What were you doing, messing with Juudaime's mind like that, you bastard?!"

Tsuna shook his head vigorously. "N-no, his illusions don't work on me, remember?! What I saw was real! He came out of a pineapple! And he was this tiny!" he said, hands apart a distance of about three inches.

Mukuro looked on with amusement. "Kufufu, I think Vongola's losing it."

"Shut up!" Tsuna snapped and pointed an accusing finger at his Mist Guardian. "You came out of a pineapple!"

Gokudera was ready to crumble. What to do, _what to do_?! There was something wrong with the boss; lately, he seemed obsessed with proving something about Mukuro. Was this it? Mukuro was a pineapple-person? That was…that was ridiculous! Normally, Juudaime was a lot more…sensible than this!

He put a hand on his boss's shoulder and steered him away. "We'll have to see Reborn-san, Juudaime."

"Wh-what?!" Tsuna cried as he was pushed along. "B-but…what about Mukuro?! He _lives_ in a pineapple! I bet it has little pineapple furniture and everything! I bet he has pineapple for starters and the main course and dessert! What do you have for tea, Mukuro? Huh?! Pineapple-flavoured coffee?! Or pineapple milkshake?!"

Mukuro watched them go with an eerie smile on his face. "Kufufu…"


	18. Family

"Hibari-kun, you drive?" Iemitsu asked as they approached the car.

"I know _how_ to drive," Hibari replied.

Iemitsu grinned and tossed him the keys. "Great! You take the wheel and I'm going to sit in the backseat with my wife and kid."

Hibari didn't argue as he unlocked the doors and sat down in the driver's seat. Iemitsu opened the door for Nana and Tsuna. "Tsuna, you sit in the middle."

"Eh? Why?" Tsuna asked, hopping inside anyway.

Iemitsu got in after him and shut the door. He then turned and, grinning, he wrapped his arms around both Nana and Tsuna. "To make a Sawada sandwich!"

"Aah…!" Tsuna cried out, looking pained. "D-dad…!"

What an herbivore. Hibari smirked as he put the car into gear and drove off. He didn't actually have a license to drive but…whatever. As if such things bothered him.

Iemitsu let go. "Sawada sandwich is a healthy sandwich."

"No, it isn't! You almost broke my bones!" Tsuna said with indignation.

His dad laughed and ruffled his hair. Nana sighed.

"Oh, yeah, Hibari-kun," Iemitsu asked, "do you actually have a license?"

"No." Hibari responded.

"What?!" Nana exclaimed while Iemitsu snickered. "Nice!" the blond man said.

Tsuna sighed. "Nii-chan's been driving since he started middle school."

"Since before that, herbivore," Hibari corrected.

"Eh?! Really?! B-but…you got your motorcycle when you started Nami-chuu, right?" the boy asked. He looked discomfited.

"Relax." Hibari scoffed. "Just be thankful I learnt before you came along, otherwise we'd have had a repeat of the motorcycle lessons."

Tsuna paled at the memories.

"Eh? What happened with the motorcycle lessons?" Nana asked.

"Wh-when Nii-chan got his motorcycle, h-he took me along for the ride…" Tsuna replied, still a little white.

"And…?" Nana encouraged.

"I didn't have an instructor." Hibari said simply.

"It was a…um…hands-on experience." Tsuna said with a shudder.

Nana blinked. "Don't tell me…you crashed?"

"Various times." Hibari nodded.

"What?!"

Iemitsu cackled. "That must have hurt!"

"Anata!" Nana reprimanded her husband. "That's not funny!"

He cleared his throat and tried to keep a straight face. "You're right. That kind of thing is dangerous…" he saw Tsuna's near-crying expression and cracked up again. He thumped the boy on the back. "Tsuna, you must have had a tough life!"

"Wh-why is that funny?" Tsuna mumbled. He caught Hibari's eye in the rear-view mirror. Hibari smirked again and looked away.

"It isn't. Sorry, son," Iemitsu grinned, not looking in the least repentant.

Tsuna pouted. Hibari cleared his throat to hide a sudden, unexpected snort of amusement. The herbivore was really too cute sometimes.

They approached red lights and Hibari brought the car to a gentle stop. "Hey, Nana," Iemitsu said over Tsuna's head, "are we going back to the same hotel tonight? Personally, I could use something with a different view."

Tsuna frowned at them. "You're staying in a hotel?"

Iemitsu shrugged, "well, your Nii-chan here said he doesn't like people crowding in his home, right?"

"Actually, Nii-chan doesn't like crowding in general." Tsuna corrected.

In the rear-view mirror, Hibari raised an eyebrow at the child. Talking about him like he wasn't there? How unusual. Tsuna flushed and looked down. "Sorry." But he looked up after a second, his brown eyes pleading, "Can they stay, _please_, Nii-chan?"

Hibari's "no" died in his throat. Why were those damned brown eyes so persuasive? "And where do you suppose they'll sleep?" he asked instead. "We only have the one bedroom."

"I-I could give up my bed." Tsuna stammered. "O-or, we could move the kotatsu from the Japanese-style room and set up futons there."

Hibari sighed minutely. Those eyes were still boring into the rear-view mirror. Somehow, he just couldn't refuse. "…Fine. It's your responsibility to set things up."

Tsuna's smile was bright. "Hai!"

"Great!" Iemitsu thumped Tsuna on the back hard enough to send the boy flying through the gap in the front seats and towards the windscreen. "AAAH…!"

But he was jerked to a halt and pushed back as Hibari took hold of the back of his collar and yanked. "Sorry, Tsuna," Iemitsu said as Nana narrowed her eyes at him.

"Seatbelt on." Hibari ordered, glaring at the child from the rear-view mirror. Tsuna gulped and fumbled with the seatbelt and obediently pulled it around him. The lights changed to green and Hibari put the car into gear and drove.

Iemitsu got a call and, while he answered it and got into a lengthy discussion about his work, Tsuna began to drift off on his mother's shoulder. Hibari saw his face in the rear-view mirror. There was a trail of drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth but Nana didn't seem to mind as she wrapped her arms around him to keep him from tipping forward. She caught Hibari's gaze from the mirror and smiled. Hibari looked away.

Iemitsu was talking on the phone for much of the journey back so the only two people who were awake were silent. The journey was a lot longer going than it had been coming; there was a fair amount of traffic on the way. Hibari wanted to ram the car into the backs of all the vehicles in front and tell them to move or he'd bite them to death.

But he didn't. He was on his best behaviour today, and that meant "no biting to death" and being an average citizen. It was annoying as hell but if he couldn't even do this much for the herbivore, he wasn't fit to be a guardian and the idea of someone being a better guardian to Tsuna than himself pissed him off to the extreme.

Iemitsu _really_ talked. Even though fifteen minutes were added to their journey, he didn't stop relaying orders to whoever he was talking to the whole way. "…anyway, I've got to go now." he said as they finally approached the apartment building. "Yeah, give the Ninth my regards. I'll see you guys in a few days then. Bye." He pocketed his phone and looked at Tsuna. "He fell asleep so early?"

Hibari glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was five past eight. "He's been up for more than fourteen hours," he said.

Iemitsu raised an eyebrow. "Why'd he get up so early?"

Hibari parked the car. "He was nervous."

"Haha, he really takes after his mom." Iemitsu chuckled as he unbuckled Tsuna's seatbelt.

"What do you mean by that?" Nana asked as she unwound her arms from around Tsuna and let Iemitsu lift the child off her shoulder.

He smiled as he got out of the car, his son in his arms. "You start behaving weird when you're nervous too."

"I do not." she said with a harrumph, following him out.

He looked down at her, a grin on his face. "It's kind of cute."

She blushed and looked away. His grin widened.

Hibari locked the car doors and led the way into the building. Up in his apartment, he pointed down the hall at the bedroom when Iemitsu asked where to put Tsuna. "Ok then," the older man grinned as he took off his shoes and stepped up into the hallway, following the direction of Hibari's finger.

A few seconds later, he joined Nana and Hibari in the living room. Hibari had sat down on the zabuton under the low table by the smaller window.

Iemitsu looked around the room. "Pretty bland, isn't it? I thought young people liked to decorate?"

Hibari made no response as he flicked through one of the exercise books on the table in front of him.

"I'm sure Kyouya-kun is a busy person," Nana said.

"But he's been living here for ten years." Iemitsu said. "The only room that's any different is the bedroom and that looks kinda depressing."

"As long as it serves its purpose, it doesn't really matter." Hibari droned.

Iemitsu laughed. "Practicality above all else, eh?"

"Of course."

There was silence for a while. Nana looked at her husband. "Aren't you…going to discuss _that_ with Kyouya-kun?"

Iemitsu sighed. "I guess I should."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Discuss what with me?"

The blond man shifted on the couch and made himself more comfortable. "I've been thinking about how to go about Tsuna's boss training without either of you leaving for Italy. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it being carried out here, it's just that, back in Italy, he'd be a lot safer from assassins. He'd be protected. Despite our best efforts, I've already been spotted so it won't be long before Vongola's enemies deduce that Tsuna's alive too. So I had wanted Tsuna to come back to Italy with us."

Nana sighed.

"You've nothing to fear." Hibari said. "As long as I'm his guardian, I won't allow harm to come to him."

"I know you're strong." Iemitsu said. "Dino even said so. But could you really protect Tsuna? What's your motivation? I really do appreciate that you took him in and looked after him for five years and, right here, right now, we can pay off the debt and you needn't worry about his welfare anymore…"

"If you're going to say that, you can get out." Hibari said quietly.

Iemitsu didn't look in the least offended. Rather, he grinned. "Sorry, just testing you. So, what _is_ your motivation?"

Hibari looked down at the exercise book he held. There was a little "good work" written in red in the margin.

Someone was questioning if he could be a proper guardian…of course he could be! He'd done fine for the past five years, hadn't he? He was a good guardian. "Tch…my motivation?" He frowned. "In the beginning, you could say it was pity. I felt pity that he was in such a state."

"And…what is it now?" Nana asked. "Why do you still allow him to stay here, even though he's not doing anything for you, even though you've nothing to gain from it?"

"You're wrong." he said, still looking through the book. "He's…what I've come to associate with this place. He's the nearest equivalent of a little brother that I have." His words were quiet, his tone distant and his gaze seeming uninterested. In truth, he'd never really given much consideration to what the herbivore meant to him. Tsuna's existence had been something Hibari had come to take for granted. He'd never thought he might have it taken away one day so he'd never reflected on what exactly it meant to him for the child to be here.

But, thinking about it now, it went deeper than what he'd just said. Far deeper. At first, yes, it had been pity. But then it had changed to…sympathy, understanding. He'd found a child who'd gone through a similar fate as him.

And then he'd felt…grief. He'd not wanted for someone else to go through what he'd undergone as a child. He had been alone. In a bid to survive, to become stronger, he had abandoned his childhood. He'd not wanted another child – much less a cute little herbivore – to go through that.

So, somewhere deep down, he'd decided to be Tsuna's anchor, to keep the child from getting tangled up in the darkness that had started to follow him after he'd lost his will to live. Nobody could say Kyouya Hibari wasn't human if they were to see proof of this reasoning. But these vague thoughts and ideas were locked deep, deep down, and they would remain so. Because he didn't need such weaknesses.

Nana stood up from the couch and approached the young man. She knelt before him, her hand reaching out and coming to rest on his as he turned another page in Tsuna's exercise book. He stiffened at the contact and looked up from the book. What did she think she was doing?

"Then, maybe you can think of me as a mother too?" she asked.

Her eyes were just like the herbivore's; soft, warm, and welcoming. His jaw tightened as he fought the urge to physically push her away. The touch was revolting. He slid his hand away from hers. "I don't need any such attachments."

"But maybe you do, Kyouya-kun," she said. "That's why you're so cold, isn't it? Because you didn't get a mother's love."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

Earnest brown eyes stared at him. He looked away. Why were their eyes so similar? "Yes."

She sighed and stood up. "Ok. But I'll still accept you as a mother would accept a son." She went back to her seat beside Iemitsu.

Hibari scoffed. If he had been so weak of heart, he would have clung onto that offer. How long had it been since he'd been shown such affection? Eleven years. His heart had hardened. He'd willed it to harden so he wouldn't be affected by such things anymore. He was someone who was completely independent…

…except for that one little weakness. No, no, it wasn't a weakness. Sure, he saw the herbivore as something important, something that was to be cherished, but never would he let himself be brought down because of that attachment. Rather, it served to make him stronger; he must do whatever he could to keep the herbivore from coming to harm.

He put the book down. Iemitsu spoke, "I have a proposition for you."

Hibari looked up, eyebrow cocked once again. "Oh?"

"Since you're strong, and you clearly wish the best for Tsuna…why don't you join Tsuna's family?"

He frowned. "Family? As in…mafia family?"

Iemitsu nodded. "Yeah, as one of his…Guardians."

"Guardians?"

"Each Vongola boss to date has had six Guardians. It is the job of the Guardians to protect the Vongola Famiglia and their boss."

A smirk tugged at the corners of Hibari's lips. "You want me to serve under the herbivore?"

"If he's stronger than you, it should be no problem, right?"

Hibari was, needless to say, amused by this. "And you're sure he'll manage to achieve that?"

Iemitsu grinned. "Sure. He's the heir to Vongola, after all."

"Hn…what interesting things you say." Hibari felt like mirroring the grin he saw on Iemitsu's face, but he didn't. "Then, if, after the herbivore begins his training, we battle and he manages to land a hit on me, I'll consider becoming one of his…Guardians."

Iemitsu was grinning so widely it was a wonder his face didn't split in two. "Great!"

But, as Hibari pondered the idea, his mind was made up already. He _would_ be Tsuna's Guardian. If it was the only way to keep an eye on the herbivore, he'd take that opportunity.

And he already knew that, with a bit of strict training, Tsuna would be something really special, one day. After all, he had heard it being said from someone who had defeated him once, right? Tsuna might be really strong. And this strength would outgrow Hibari's. One day.

* * *

**Omake:**

_Pineapple-People Part Three: _

Reborn consulted a clipboard, spectacles balanced on the tip of his nose. He then looked up at Tsuna, who was still raving about "pineapple people". "Hmm…" the Sun Arcobaleno finally said. He put down his clipboard and folded his arms across his chest. "This looks like a serious case of Mukuro-getting-under-your-skin. Dame-Tsuna, why did you let that man get to you?"

"B-but…pineapple!" Tsuna cried. "He lives in a pineapple!"

Reborn jumped up and kicked the Vongola boss in the head. "Shut up. You are being an idiot. There're no such things as pineapple people. Repeat after me. There. Are. No. Such. Things. As. Pineapple. People. Do you understand?" He stared at his former apprentice long and hard.

Tsunayoshi gulped and looked away. "B-but…I saw him coming out…"

Reborn kicked him again. Gokudera watched on with a pained face as Tsuna fell to the ground. Reborn stood before the brown-haired man. "Pull yourself together, Dame-Tsuna. We can't afford to have the boss of the mafia's most powerful family being reduced to such a pathetic , useless heap because of a prank by his own Mist Guardian."

Tsuna's eyes widened. "P-prank…?"

"Yes, it was a prank." Reborn sighed. "How much of an idiot are you?"

Tsuna was frozen to the spot, eyes wide.

And then they narrowed. He got to his feet. "Thank you, Reborn, Gokudera-kun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some…business to take care of." He straightened his suit jacket and his tie and walked out of the room, looking composed.

Gokudera exchanged a glance with Reborn. "Um…what just happened?"

Reborn smirked. "Mukuro's going to be…very sorry."


	19. I'm Going to be a Boss

Tsuna woke and sat up. His hand immediately went to his throat. He was still dressed in his suit from yesterday. He pulled at his tie and loosened it. It was so constraining. To think he'd actually fell asleep with it still tight around his neck! How did people regularly put up with this stuff?

He got out of bed, pulled off his jacket, and sorted the covers. Nii-chan was still asleep. What about his parents…?

It was only then that he realised there was a pleasant smell in it air. And, if he listened closely, he could hear sounds coming from another part of the apartment. He went to the doorway. The smell here was stronger and the sounds a little louder. The smell was of breakfast and the sound was of kitchen utensils clanking gently.

He crossed the hallway and went to kitchen. "M-mom?!" he exclaimed.

Nana, dressed in a pair of casual three-quarter white pants, a pink and white striped polo shirt and Tsuna's dull orange apron, was stood in front of the cooker, a wooden spatula in hand . She looked over at him and smiled. "Good morning, Tsu-kun!"

He walked up to her. "Wh-why are you making breakfast? I could have done it."

She shook her head as she returning to seeing to two eggs which were cooking in the pan. "That's okay. I wanted to make something for you and Kyouya-kun."

"Where's dad?"

"He's still sleeping."

Tsuna gazed over at the door on the protruding part of the kitchen wall. The door there was closed so he couldn't see into the Japanese-style room. "Oh…Ok."

Nana looked down at his clothes and sighed. "You fell asleep wearing those? Why don't you go freshen up while I finish making breakfast, hmm?"

He smiled. "Hai." He turned and left the kitchen and went back to the bedroom to get his things together for a bath.

He was almost done washing when there was a loud knock on the door. "Tsuna?" Iemitsu called out. "Hurry it up! I need the loo!"

Tsuna blinked. Wow. What a thing to say. Actually, he was kind of glad his father wasn't one to feel any kind of tension – or let on to it if he did, otherwise Tsuna would have felt even more awkward than he had yesterday.

He pulled a clean shirt over his head and looked himself over, making sure he had everything on. He was dressed in a light orange t-shirt and brown combats. One time, a few years ago, he'd left the bathroom without his pants. He swore Nii-chan found something incredibly amusing about his array of colourful boxers; whenever he saw them, he made a strange fish face and looked away. Tsuna didn't want anything like that to happen with his parents; judging by the kind of guy Iemitsu was, he'd point and laugh straight out and Tsuna would die from the embarrassment.

He picked up all his dirty laundry and left the bathroom. He froze. Iemitsu was standing off to the side in the hallway, dressed in a white vest and boxer shorts. A fresh outfit, along with a towel, was slung over his arm; it was made up of a pair of grey pants and a white shirt. "Morning!" he greeted cheerily.

_Hurry and go inside, please!_ Tsuna begged. "G-good morning," he said politely, trying not to look at his father's colourful boxers. Not sure if he should just walk past or wait for Iemitsu to say something more, he didn't go on. Iemitsu thumped him on the shoulder and entered the bathroom. Tsuna sighed in relief.

In the kitchen, he saw that some food had been laid out and Nana was pouring tea into some mugs. He went to throw his clothes into the washing machine and then went up to her. "Nii-chan's mug is the violet and black one." he said, pointing.

She smiled. "I'll bear that in mind. Why don't you go and wake your Nii-chan up?"

"Hai." He left the kitchen and walked across the hall and went into the bedroom. He went over to Hibari's bed. "Nii-chan?" No voice-raising was required, no shaking was required, and no repetition was required; Hibari was a really light sleeper.

One blue-grey eye opened and looked up at the boy. Tsuna smiled. "Good morning. Breakfast is ready."

Hibari sat up. "Hn."

That done, Tsuna turned around and went back to the kitchen. He sat down and asked Nana to come and eat too, but she'd already eaten. It was just as well since the table only had the two chairs. He settled down to wait for Nii-chan.

Hibari walked in a while later. He stopped in the doorway to survey the table. He seemed a little surprised that Tsuna was sitting with his arms folded at the edge of the tabletop and Nana was the one hovering around the counter, cleaning up and sorting through more ingredients for breakfast. "I take it Iemitsu Sawada is in the bathroom?" Hibari asked.

Nana smiled. "Yes. Good morning, Kyouya-kun."

He made no response as he went over to the sink and washed his hands and his face. Nana handed him a towel. "Thank you." he said as he took it and wiped his face.

She smiled again. "Please, sit. I hope you don't mind me borrowing your kitchen for the morning. Is that food okay or would you like anything in particular?"

He looked over at the table. "It's fine. Just…please clean up after."

"Of course."

He went over to the table and took a seat opposite Tsuna. The boy beamed. It was…kind of nice seeing everyone getting along. Maybe, in time, his parents could become Nii-chan's parents too? Even if Nii-chan didn't need anybody.

They started to eat. Hibari, being a faster eater, was just finishing his tea when Iemitsu came in. "Mornin, Hibari-kun." the blond man greeted. He handed Nana his dirty laundry and she went to put it in the washing machine.

"Hn." Hibari emptied the chair so the man could sit down, his (new) violet and black striped mug in hand.

Tsuna stuffed the last of his breakfast into his mouth and downed it with a large sip of tea. He stood up and began to clear away the dishes as Nana started making more food. Hibari took Tsuna's empty seat. He had a staring contest with Iemitsu. Iemitsu grinned. "So, had any pleasant dreams?"

"Nothing in particular." Hibari said. "The herbivore got his own a cooking show."

Tsuna whipped around as he cleaned the dishes. "H-huh?"

Hibari waved a dismissive hand. "Never mind."

Iemitsu chuckled. "I, for one, had a wonderful dream! I saw the four of us in Hawaii."

"Hawaii?" Tsuna asked. "Why? Have you been thinking of going?"

His father grinned, "Maybe."

Nana sighed. "How many times do we have to go on vacation a year?"

"What? There's nothing wrong with it." Iemitsu said. "So, you guys been on any vacations?"

"No." Hibari responded. "We have neither the time nor the funding to spare on such excursions."

Iemitsu frowned. "Talking of funding, I've been meaning to ask you…you don't work. I mean, at least, work that gets you wages, right? I take it you survive off the money your parents left behind? What are you going to do when that runs out?"

"That'll never be a problem." Hibari smirked.

Tsuna stopped scrubbing the dishes. Nii-chan was thinking of robbing people, he could tell.

He sighed. He'd never given much thought to how Nii-chan got the money for living expenses before. He turned to look at the two men at the table. Surely Nii-chan had spent quite a lot with feeding an extra mouth and getting Tsuna everything he needed…and there was the weekly allowance too…the bills…the shopping…the little luxuries…so, he paid for that with the money his father had earned. But what would they do when that money ran out? Was Tsuna…a financial burden too?

"You're right." Iemitsu said with an easy grin. Tsuna looked up from the floor in puzzlement.

Hibari narrowed his gaze. "What're you talking about?"

"Well, as Tsuna's father and the one who _should_ have been providing his living expenses these past few years, it's my responsibility to make sure nothing troublesome happens to you guys, and finance fits comes into that. So, I've decided that I'll support you from now on."

Nana smiled. Tsuna blinked. Hibari frowned. It was the latter who spoke, "I don't need your support."

Iemitsu sighed. "Always so difficult. Then, just think of it as me providing for my son, okay? Cuz, if anything happens to you, then my son's going to be affected too, right? So, you could say my support is for my son. You can't have any objections to that."

Hibari narrowed his gaze. Tsuna felt elated; if they were talking about financial support "from now on" and such, then that meant that he could continue living with Nii-chan, right? He was happy to see his parents, of course he was, but they would not settle for living in Namimori and he didn't want to leave Niii-chan and go to Italy. This was an awesome arrangement!

Hibari looked over at him and he grinned brightly. The young man sighed and stood. "Fine." He came to give his empty mug to Tsuna and made his way to the door. "As long as the herbivore stays here, I'm not bothered what you do."

Silence followed his exit. Nana came over to Tsuna. "Your Nii-chan loves you very much, doesn't he?" She smiled and smoothed his hair. "You found a very good Nii-chan. I'm so glad you were okay."

Tsuna flushed at her words. What a thing to say. She should have been glad Nii-chan didn't hear that. But he didn't want to correct her. He _had_ found a very good Nii-chan…or had it been the other way around? A very good Nii-chan had found him? Either way, he wouldn't have liked his life to turn out any different. If he'd ever felt sorry for the person he'd turned out to be and the life that he'd lived thus far, all such thoughts disappeared from then on. Everything was perfect.

"Ne, Tsu-kun," Nana said as Tsuna finished with the dishes, "what should we make for dinner today?"

Tsuna blinked. We? "Ah, no, it's okay, mom. I'll make it."

"No, no, I want to help. Why don't we both make it?"

He blinked again. "Um…Okay."

So, when the kitchen was cleaned up and Tsuna had done some more chores (with his mother's help), Nana proposed that they go to town to get some stuff.

"Anata, we're going to town, okay?" she said as she walked up to the couch. Iemitsu was watching TV.

He turned to look over his shoulder and grinned. "Okay. You girls have fun!"

Tsuna's face went beet red. "Wh-what d'you mean "girls"?!"

His father laughed. "What? You _are_ like a girl. You clean the house, you cook, and you do the shopping, from what Hibari-kun tells me."

Tsuna turned away, still red-faced. "Th-that's my only payment for Nii-chan letting me stay here! I-I tried my best to be useful…" He left the room, feeling indignant. He stopped by the little closet in the hall and opened it. He pulled out a hoody from within and pulled it over his head.

Nana stopped beside him. "Don't think too badly of what your father says; he's the type of man who likes to make people laugh…or embarrass them."

Tsuna gazed in the direction of the living room sourly. "I get the feeling he likes to embarrass people more."

Nana chuckled. "Don't take it to heart, dear. You're nothing like a girl."

He sighed. "Hai." As if he could hold a grudge against his own father. He brightened up. "Then, shall we go?"

"Yup."

"What about money?"

"I got some off your father. We'll be okay."

"All right."

They bid Iemitsu goodbye and then walked down the hallway. Tsuna stopped by the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Nii-chan, okaa-san and I are going out, okay?"

Hibari didn't usually talk when he was in the bathroom. All Tsuna received in response was the splashing of water.

"I'll tell him when he's done!" Iemitsu said from the living room. "You guys go on."

The woman and child slipped on their shoes and exited the apartment. Hibari emerged from the bathroom a while later. There was a towel draped around his shoulder and he was rubbing the back of his head with one end of it. He was dressed, as usual, in one of his many identical uniforms that he wore to Nami-chuu. He had to go and make some rounds today.

He stared at the door a while and then went over to the living room. "Where did they go?"

"Huh? To town." Iemitsu replied, eyes on a soccer game. "They're going to make a big dinner today…or something."

What teenage boy _willingly_ went shopping with his mother, and for something as boring as dinner shopping at that? Hibari cocked an eyebrow and went to his bedroom. Tsuna was one weird little kid. But, knowing him, he wouldn't be thinking that way at all. He was probably happy at being able to spend so much time with his mother.

In the bedroom, Hibari slung his black gakuran jacket over his shoulders. He picked up a pair of socks and pulled them on too. He checked to make sure he had his tonfa on his person and then went back to the living room.

"Going somewhere?" Iemitsu asked.

The young man nodded once. "I have rounds."

"Oh, awesome! Mind if I come?"

Hibari narrowed his gaze. "Why?"

The blond man shrugged. "Since there's no one else around, there's no point staying by myself."

Hibari sighed and turned around. "Fine." He didn't really like being accompanied by others when he did his rounds but as long as it wasn't more than one person, he could deal.

He fished out his key and put on his shoes and waited for Iemitsu to come. The older man emerged a while later, feet socked and donning a grey jacket matching his pants. "Let's go then!" he said.

They made their way out. Hibari walked a little ahead as they emerged out of the building. Iemitsu whistled and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Hey, you mind if we check out the old house?"

"What old house?" Hibari asked.

"My old house."

The young man held back another sigh. He was far too lenient with this man. It was all because he was Tsunayoshi's father. The damned herbivore was the one at fault here. Stupid herbivore. "If you wish."

So they went to the Sawadas' old neighbourhood. Hibari wondered if the man might be seen by people who used to know him and, if that happened, wouldn't it be awkward and weird? Not that he cared. But then again, Iemitsu had been away on mafia-related business a lot so maybe his face hadn't been that well-known.

They were silent for most of the way there. Iemitsu hummed a tune to himself while Hibari glanced around, making sure everything was as it should be. Besides, the Disciplinary Committee was spread around all of Namimori so if something happened, it'd be taken care of. Occasionally, the DC guys had a tough time with a stronger criminal. In that case, they'd call Hibari (usually after getting beaten to a pulp) and Hibari would deal with the problem. But that didn't happen too often; it was rare for someone to defeat the DC guys. After all, Hibari picked the best of the best to join his Committee.

There wasn't much to see at the site of the old Sawada house. The burnt building had been demolished a long time ago and a new house had been built. A new family already lived there. "Is this all?" Hibari asked. "I have to do my rounds."

"Yeah, that's all." Iemitsu replied, still smiling.

They left the street. Hibari led the way towards the school. First, he had to do some duties there. He had to make sure everything was as it should be, that no one was lurking around there when they weren't supposed to.

On the way, he spotted something strange. They'd turned onto a new street. There was a boy poking his head out of a nearby side alley. When he saw Hibari, his eyes went wide and he ducked his head. Finding this most suspicious, Hibari walked over to the mouth of the alley and looked in.

A group of six high school boys were stubbing something out on the floor and then began to run, some were nearing the other end of the alley. There were cries of "Hibari's here! L-let's go already! Hurry up!" Hibari's gaze narrowed. "What are you herbivores doing?" he asked.

The boys hadn't even got to the other side of the alley when he'd spoken. They all turned to look over their shoulders, their eyes wide.

Hibari sniffed. It seemed suspiciously like illegal substance. He didn't particularly care what kind of illegal crap kids got up to. That wasn't the real issue here. "Crowding in such a place?" he asked coolly. He pulled out his tonfa. "You'll all be bitten to death."

"Run!" one of the boys yelled.

Everybody knew that no one escaped Kyouya Hibari, not once he'd seen your face. Escape was impossible. Yet, every single herbivore that Hibari went after tried to run away. How idiotic.

Snapped out of their mini-trances, the boys all began to move as fast as they could, panic etched onto their features.

Hibari started to walk. Iemitsu followed at a slower pace, looking amused. Hibari's steps picked up the pace. The high school boys all left the alley, glancing back every so often as they fled as fast as they could. Hibari was right behind them.

The herbivores who fell prey to him, when they realised escape was futile, tried to fight back. It was all the more enjoyable knocking them down.

The boy closest to Hibari went down with a blow to the back of the head. The one who'd been just ahead of the downed boy tried to speed up, his eyes fearful. He ducked as Hibari swiped at his head. Turning around, this boy took up a stance. But before he could attack, Hibari had brought up one tonfa and rammed the front of it into the boy's chin. "Too slow," the head of the prefects said as he kicked the boy hard enough to send him flying into two of his comrades.

The two felled boys shoved the deadweight of their friend off of them and tried to run away again. But, by this time, Hibari was already standing over them. Simultaneous blows to each of their heads had the two boys knocked down before they'd even managed to get to their feet.

Next, it was just a matter of kicking one of the two remaining boys (both of whom had stopped to stare at their fallen comrades with their mouths hanging open like a pair of fools) in the gut and knocking the other to the ground with a tonfa to the head.

He heard clapping behind him. He turned. Iemitsu grinned as he leaned against the wall, arms now folded across his chest. "Your reflexes are brilliant. Dino wasn't kidding when he said you were strong."

Hibari felt a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips as he walked towards the older man, tonfa still held aloft. "Why take someone else's word for it when you can test it out for yourself?"

Iemitsu cocked an eyebrow, but stood up straight nonetheless. "You should curb your bloodlust a little; it'll get you into trouble."

"Are you scared?"

Iemitsu laughed. "Scared? Well," he cracked his knuckles, "Don't say I didn't warn you, kid."

* * *

Tsuna and Nana stepped through the door of the apartment, laden with bags. Tsuna looked down and was surprised to see that Nii-chan's shoes were there. Shouldn't he have gone out for patrol by now?

"What could the boys be up to now?" Nana asked after Tsuna pointed out the shoes.

He turned away and walked up into the hallway. Didn't his mom think he was one of the boys? He was a boy through and through! He was just…adept at the finer things in life…even if he was useless at most other things. Maybe he'd end up being a househusband or something when he grew up. It didn't sound too bad, if he could stay home all day.

He'd been on his way to the kitchen when he chanced a glance into the living room. "Hey, dad." he greeted.

Iemitsu looked back over the sofa and grinned. "Hey, Tsuna! So, what's for dinner tonight?"

Tsuna smiled. "Mom's saying we should make Japanese stuff but I wanna try making something Italian. Where's Nii-chan?"

"He's in his room. He got beat up pretty bad…"

"What?!" Tsuna put down his bags and rushed over to the bedroom.

Standing in the doorway, he saw that Hibari was lying on his bed. He had bruises on his face and he was clutching at his side. His jaw flexed. He looked pained. At least his injuries had been cleaned up.

"Nii-chan!" Tsuna cried as he went over and fell to his knees beside the young man's bed.

Hibari's dull blue eyes opened, brows coming together at a steep slant. "So noisy, herbivore."

Tsuna looked at the man with wide eyes. "Wh-what happened?"

"I had a fight, what's it look like?"

"W-with who?"

"Your dad."

Tsuna's eyes couldn't get any wider. "D-dad?! Wh-why?"

Hibari sighed. "No reason. I just wanted to see if he was strong."

"B-but, Nii-chan…dad shouldn't have…"

"_I_ was the one who wanted to fight."

"B-but…Why?"

"Isn't that obvious? Because he's not an herbivore."

Tsuna sighed. Of course, Nii-chan would fight anyone strong. He rarely got a worthy opponent but…but something like this was so unexpected! First, aniki and now dad! They'd both defeated Nii-chan! Who'd have thought they could be so strong?!

So, that made two people who weren't "herbivores", in Nii-chan's eyes. Tsuna felt glum. He'd stay an herbivore forever.

"What's with that face?" Hibari asked.

Tsuna's expression cleared and he smiled. "Nothing. Can I get you anything?"

"Some coffee, and painkillers, if we have them."

"Hai." Tsuna stood up and went to the kitchen. Nana was already sorting through everything. She looked over at him as he entered. "How's Kyouya-kun?"

"He should be fine." Tsuna said as he went to put the water to boil. He helped Nana put the stuff away and then dug out a packet of painkillers.

As he made the coffee and took it, along with the painkillers, to Nii-chan, he wondered if he'd ever be called by his name. Two people had now been proven not to be herbivores but Tsuna was still stuck with the label. Five years had passed and he'd not once been called "Tsuna" or even "Tsunayoshi" by his brother. It made him feel a little depressed every time he thought about it.

Hibari sat up as the boy came in. He tightened his jaw as he did so, trying hard not to show that he was in pain. Always so macho. Tsuna stopped by the bed and held out the painkillers. Hibari fumbled with the packet as he tried to take the tablets out. Tsuna looked tortured. "Sh-should I do that, Nii-chan?"

Hibari looked up at him, his gaze sharp. Tsuna nearly flinched. "I don't need anyone's help," the man said through gritted teeth.

Tsuna sighed and waited. Taking a couple tablets, Hibari took the mug from Tsuna's hands and downed them. He nearly let go of the mug. Tsuna stood by anxiously, wishing the man would lie back down.

Hibari leaned back. "Why are you still here, herbivore?"

Tsuna looked down. "I just…if you need anything, please let me know."

"I'll be sure to do so." the man said.

Tsuna nodded. "Hai." He turned and walked out of the room. He made his way to the living room. Iemitsu was still watching TV. Tsuna settled beside him. "Hey, dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you hit him so bad?"

Iemitsu laughed, although he looked a little apologetic. "I had to defend myself, right? He went all out. Here, look at this," He turned his head around so Tsuna could see the dark, blue-purple bruise that blemished the area just under his ear, covering his jaw. "I coulda sworn he broke my jaw at the time." He grinned.

Tsuna blinked. "But…why did you fight anyway?"

Iemitsu shrugged, "he got some kids on the street who'd been smoking crack or something and then…maybe he'd just wanted to fight for real. It was fun."

Tsuna frowned. "Hurting people is not fun."

"It is when both parties expect to be hurt." The grin wouldn't leave the man's face. So cheerful. Tsuna sighed. "Please don't beat Nii-chan up in future."

Iemitsu clicked his tongue. "I can't guarantee that…" He trailed off and narrowed his gaze at Tsuna. His grin came back. "What would you do if I did?"

Tsuna looked away, back rigid. "My own father shouldn't be asking me about things like that." He didn't want to ponder what would happen in such circumstances. If he'd been there for the fight, if he'd seen that it hadn't been Nii-chan who instigated it, he'd have done his utmost to make sure no harm came to Nii-chan, even if it meant coming in harm's way himself.

Iemitsu laughed and thumped the boy on the back. Tsuna jerked forward. "Y-you really should stop doing that." he stammered as he steadied himself by placing his hands on the edge of the table and pushing against it. "I'm going to get killed."

Iemitsu guffawed. "I know for a fact that you're not that weak. And anyway, your boss training's going to begin soon so you should get all the more stronger."

Tsuna frowned. "Huh?"

"You boss training. It's going to be carried out here. We're sending the Ninth's best hit man to tutor you."

As glad as Tsuna felt that he didn't have to leave for Italy, and that arrangements had been made for his boss training, he was a little terrified. "A-a hit man?! I have to be tutored by a _hit man_?!"

Iemitsu smiled and raised a hand to the boy's head. "Do me a favour, Tsuna."

Tsuna looked up at the man with a puzzled gaze. "What's that?"

"Become stronger…for the sake of your family, for your Nii-chan, and for the people you're going to meet and treasure."

Tsuna continued to stare for a while longer, letting the words sink in. It couldn't be all that bad, could it? Being a boss? Especially since he was going to be taught how to be stronger. And when he was stronger, he would be able to protect those close to him. He wouldn't be a burden to Nii-chan anymore.

He smiled. "Hai."

* * *

CHOCOCANDYZ: that's a very good question...platform shoes? XXD I'm sure there are ways...I didn't think it through though, damn :\

Anyway, story's going to come to an end soon. Currently, I'm stuck for what to do for the epilogue. I got a few ideas but nothing that'd be absolutely necessary...meh, I'll think of something.

* * *

**Omake:**

_Pineapple-People Part Four: _

"Mukuro!"

Mukuro was lounging in the gardens, a book in hand, when he heard his name being called out, with much anger. He looked up. "Oya? Hello, Vongola."

Tsunayoshi came to a halt beside the bench. Orange flames burned at his forehead and gloved hands. His eyes were orange-gold. He reached out and, taking a hold of Mukuro's collar, he dragged his Mist Guardian up. "Oya?" Mukuro said. "This is unusual."

"Don't mess with me." Tsuna hissed. "How dare you pull a prank on me?!"

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. "This is about a prank? What prank?"

"Don't act dumb, pineapple-person."

"Kufufu, even in Hyper Dying Will mode, you're acting like an idiot. It's unbecoming."

Tsuna shook him. "Don't make me angry. Do you know what I'm going to do to you right now?"

"Er…invite me for tea?"

"I'm going to squash you and stuff you in a pineapple. For eternity."

From a window on the second floor of the mansion, Gokudera and Reborn watched on as the fight broke out. Mukuro got pulverised.

And then Tsuna made good on his promise and stuffed Mukuro in too-small cage (shaped like a pineapple). He then sent it to Namimori by private jet, addressed to one by the name of Kyouya Hibari.

* * *

And that's it for the Pineapple People. Poor Mukuro, can you imagine the torture Hibari will put him through? :\


	20. Reborn

"FATHER!"

"Kyu-chan…!" his mother cried, pulling him back as he tried to run out from behind her, towards where his father was standing.

They were in a deserted place. Kyouya and his mother were huddled against a wall and his father stood some ways ahead of them, protecting them as various enemies closed around them in a loose semi-circle. There were some bodies strewn around the floor – enemies that had tried to take him down but had thus far failed.

He was bruised and bleeding but he refused to admit defeat. The twin guns in his hands kept firing bullet after bullet, and each one hit home and knocked down one more opponent. Pretty soon, he'd have to let go of his weapons or pause to reload, giving his enemies the chance they'd need to strike him down.

For one brief second, he looked over his shoulder to check if his wife and son were all right. He met his son's fearful teary gaze and, much to the little boy's surprise, he smiled before turning back to his enemies.

"Today's the day you die, Chief," one of the men from the enemy's ranks said as he hefted a crowbar. "Namimori will be ours."

"I highly doubt that." Police Chief Hibari said. He emptied his guns and threw them aside. His enemies broke ranks and charged. Kyouya's mother screamed and her hold on her son tightened. She took hold of the back of his head and pulled him against her chest, willing him not to see.

But the Chief wasn't down just yet. He pulled out a pair of collapsible black police batons. He knocked out the first of the men with them. His movements were practiced, accurate.

There must have been about fifty men at least. He took out about ten with his baton as if it were nothing. His body was injured but he didn't show it. That was the impressive willpower of Kyouya Hibari; even under duress, he would be strong.

As the battle drew on, his body took more hits. This should have been an easy fight; he'd been known to take on two hundred enemies and emerge with barely a scratch! Just a hundred should have meant nothing to this man!

But today he had his wife and son to protect. He wouldn't move from that one spot, in fear that if he did, his beloved ones would get killed. He couldn't allow that. So he took the hits, and he let himself become weakened. But not before he killed each and every one of these fools.

Someone had a gun and tried to shoot him. It streaked past his shoulder and lodged into the wall behind him. The wall which his wife and son were huddled against. That wall took a few more bullets. Damn it! Hadn't he taken care of the gunners already?! All the men who held a gun should be dead by now!

He knocked a knife out of the hands of one of the closest men and cracked the enemy's skull, sending him to the floor as his head bled. The chief then proceeded to wipe out another chunk of the enemy's numbers. More bullets streaked past him, barely missing. One brushed past the side of his neck, tearing out a chunk of his skin as it went, but he didn't let the pain get to him.

His wife was crying, still clutching their son close, but the boy was peeking out from under the arm that was wrapped around his head, taking in everything that what was happening with wide eyes.

Against all odds, the police chief was knocking out all the enemies. But that gunner was still standing, somewhere. And the more men the chief beat down, the more frequent the gunner's shots became.

The chief managed to stand in front of his family though, and took a bullet to the side, to his shoulder, to both shins and thighs. He remained standing, the batons in his grasp never once losing aim even though one of his shoulders was bleeding badly.

But his guard eventually began to lapse a little. A bullet streaked past his leg…straight into his wife's head. He turned his head as a pained cry filled in the air. The boy was paralyzed in his mother's grasp, his eyes the size of saucers, and she used the last of her energy to position herself in front of him, letting her body serve as a shield to take any other shots that may come their way.

"YURIKO!" the chief yelled. But he couldn't run to her aid because he still had three more men to contend with. He turned back to them, an angry scowl marring his features. Rage burned in his eyes as he lashed out again, and again. A bullet hit him in the hand and he lost his hold on one of his batons but he kept attacking with the other one. Eventually, the gunner was the only one left. "I'll kill you," the chief said as he shuffled forward on unsteady legs. The pale-faced gunner brought his trembling gun-hand up. "I-I'll shoot. I-I swear I'll shoot."

"Will you, now?" the chief said as he brought up his remaining baton and whacked the gunner in the head as hard as he could. Simultaneously, the scared gunner shot.

"FATHER!" the chief's son finally managed to break his paralysis and cried out as his father fell. The gunner toppled and the gun fell from his grasp.

The boy was trembling violently and the moment he crawled out from under his mother's unmoving body, he retched. The breakfast he'd eaten that morning all came pouring out of his mouth.

The road was strewn with bodies. And blood. Blood was everywhere. It painted the concrete a deep, sickening red.

"Hey…kid."

He jolted upright, eyes wide once more. He turned. The gunner had recovered from the blow, his gun in his hands. He grinned and the blood that was running down his head made him look terrifying. The child's gaze travelled to his father. The man was dead; the wound in his head was still bleeding.

"Just one more little runt to take care of and our revenge will be complete," the gunner said as he stepped over the bodies of his comrades and made his way towards the boy.

The boy's gaze was locked on his father's face. And then it went to his mother's inert body. And then it travelled down to the baton lying by his father's hand. Rage, unlike anything the boy had ever felt before, bubbled inside him. He stood up on shaking legs. "You killed my father and my mother." he said, voice trembling.

Like a weakling, this man hadn't even dared to engage in direct combat. Father used to say all the time that weak people were like herbivorous animals. Only herbivorous weaklings would rely on bullets to do a man's job. That was an insult to his father's name!

"And you'll be joinin em soon, kid," the gunner said.

Hibari junior ducked in his father's direction and his hand closed around the baton. He picked up the stick and stood.

The gunner laughed. "What, you're going to take me on, kid? You don't stand a chance!"

"Shut up, herbivore." Hibari hissed as he leapt towards his enemy.

The man easily took hold of the end of the baton as Hibari swung it. Hibari growled as he tried to yank it out of the man's grasp. But he was so weak. The man jerked the weapon out of the boy's hand and tossed it aside. He then raised his hand and made to punch the boy across the face but, just as he did so, the child clamped his teeth onto his hand and bit down as hard as he could.

"What the…?!" The man hissed in pain as he tried to shake the boy off. "L-let go, you little brat! I'll kill you!" He brought his other hand around and rammed the butt of the gun into the boy's head hard enough to make Hibari see stars. But the child only bit down harder. He continued to bite down until he felt his teeth break through the flesh and blood came pouring out. The man gave out a cry of pain. Hibari let go and kicked the man in the sensitive area as hard as he could.

The gunner grunted as he let go of his weapon and he doubled over, clutching at the source of the pain. Hibari kicked him in the head. He'd been taught by his father how to fight. He was no ordinary kid. He would not go down without a fight.

He picked up the gun the guy had dropped and cocked it at the man's head. "I bit you to death." he said. And shot.

Hibari's eyes snapped opened. He took in the sight of the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. As awareness caught up, he frowned. It had been a while since he'd had that dream. What was the cause of it?

He sat up.

"Nii-chan, you're up already?!"

He raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

Tsunayoshi was standing beside his own bed, having just draped a towel around his shoulders. He was wearing running shoes and a navy and white track suit. A white sweatband was wrapped around his forehead, under his hair, and matching wristbands adorned his wrists.

Hibari's gaze panned away from the boy's face to the clock on his bedside table. 05:08. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Jogging." the child said with a grin. "I thought I'd start getting into shape."

Hibari's eyebrow rose once more. Not only was it unusual for the boy to get up this early but…never once in five years had the child done anything like this. Sure, he'd tried to join some after school clubs for some sport or other but because he was so bad at whatever it was he tried out for, he was told (very politely) to leave. So he'd given up.

So this was a bit of a shock for the child's guardian. Hibari considered saying something, but he didn't know what so he kept quiet and, instead, he pulled his covers back and stood up.

"Ah, Nii-chan! Are you sure it's okay for you to be up?" Tsunayoshi said as he walked over.

Hibari's injuries from yesterday hurt just a bit but he wasn't one to be held down by such things. Beside, he'd already wasted a whole day in bed yesterday and he'd neglected his duties. He made his bed and went over to his wardrobe to gather together his things to take a bath. He then left the room.

He was a little surprised to see Iemitsu in the living room. The man was dressed in a vest and jogging pants. He was doing light warm-up exercises but he stopped when he saw Hibari at the doorway. "Morning!" he greeted with a cheerful grin.

"Hn." Hibari walked past.

As he entered the bathroom, he saw Tsunayoshi stop by the living room. "Shall we go, dad?"

Father and son were going jogging together? Hibari sucked his cheeks in as he went inside and shut the door behind him. He felt so amused.

* * *

Iemitsu and Nana left on Tuesday, much to Hibari's relief – he may not have minded having them around that much but crowding was still crowding and he didn't like it. They'd told Tsuna that they'd be leaving before the boy left for school in the morning and, when he came back in the afternoon, they were gone. They called later though.

It was Wednesday now. Hibari was leaving for school early when he saw that a letter had been slid under the front door. Puzzled, he picked it up and opened it out.

"_Are you in need of a home tutor? Is your little brother slacking off? I'll make sure he becomes suitable to lead the next generation. Grades and subjects don't matter._" it read. "_Requirements are…_"

Hibari cocked an eyebrow. Little brother? Why so exact? And leader of the next generation?

Without reading the rest of it, he turned and went to the kitchen. He crumpled up the strange flyer and chucked it in the bin. He left.

Later, in school, at around lunchtime, he was in the Reception Room. The bento Tsunayoshi had given him at break time sat on the desk, opened and he was eating. But his lunch was interrupted by a knock at the door. With a frown, he looked up, putting down his chopsticks. "Yes?"

The door opened. A trembling woman with a brown bob stood there. She stared down at the floor as she addressed him, "g-good afternoon, H-Hibari-san. U-um, I-I wished to let H-Hibari-san know that Tsu-Tsunayoshi-kun i-isn't doing very well of late…h-his subjects have been dropping a-and…"

Hibari's frown tightened. "Please come in."

He himself had told (ordered) the teachers to tell him if something was wrong with Tsunayoshi's studies. He had to be informed of such things, no? Swallowing hard, the poor woman came inside and sat down at one of the couches. Hibari got up and went to sit opposite her. "Please continue." he said.

She nodded. "W-well, a-as Hibari-san should know, Tsunayoshi-kun isn't that attentive in class. S-sometimes he…spaces out." She suddenly waved her arms about, as if to ward off incorrect assumptions, "Th-that's not to say that I think Tsunayoshi-kun doesn't try at all! H-He does try! B-but…his homework and the work he does in class are very different and…of late, his homework seems to be suffering too…"

"Hn." Hibari sighed. These past few days, he'd not checked the herbivore's homework, what with all the hype Nana and Iemitsu Sawada's arrival had stirred up. He'd been a little lenient on the kid because Tsuna had been so happy. But it seemed that had been a mistake.

"Thank you for informing me of this." he said as he stood up and went back to his desk. "I shall see to it that my brother is…dealt with accordingly."

He didn't see but the poor woman paled and shivered. "H-hai…" She stood up and bowed before fleeing from the room.

He couldn't believe he'd not kept an eye out for how the kid was doing. He knew Tsuna wasn't attentive in class; if Hibari didn't check his homework and order him to make corrections until everything was perfect, the boy would fail every single subject.

For a moment, he entertained the thought of pulling the kid out of class right now and having a word with him. But he decided not to; he had quite a bit of work to do. He'd deal with this when he got home.

He still went home early, about an hour or so before school ended. Picking up his bento box, he addressed his second-in-command, "make sure everything that needs doing is done. I'm going home."

"Yes sir." Kusakabe said.

Hibari strode past him and out of the Reception Room. He made his way home.

Inside his apartment, he left the half-full bento box in the kitchen and then went to the living room. The kid kept all his exercise books under the little table, aside from the ones he'd need immediately, which he took with him. Hibari dug them out.

He flipped through the pages. There should have been a maths test on Friday. He checked. The folded piece of paper inside the book was marked with many angry red crosses and a "this is very disappointing!" at the bottom. Three out of twenty. What on earth?

Hibari flipped through some more, checking the most recently done exercises. This week's work was not looking good. And the kid hadn't even started on some of the homework that was due in for this week! This was inexcusable. They would be having a little…talk once the boy came back home.

He paced about the apartment, waiting for home time to draw nearer. Time passed by slowly. His anger started to dissipate.

It was hardly the boy's fault. Any kid in his shoes would have forgotten about schoolwork after being visited by the parents he'd thought he'd lost forever, right? And he'd never given Hibari the opportunity to complain before…just this once, he could let up. But it couldn't happen again. Just. This. Once.

The child came home not long after. "Nii-chan?" he called out.

Hibari was on the couch, a pile of Tsunayoshi's books set on the table in front of him. When the boy rounded the doorway of the living room, he looked surprised. "You're early, Nii-chan."

Without turning his head, Hibari held up a hand and motioned for the boy to come closer. Tsunayoshi did so. Hibari patted the sofa. The boy sat down.

Hibari picked up one of the books from the pile and, flipping it over to the page he'd seen before, he held it out, eyebrows set in a deep slant, "what is this? I don't check your homework for just a few days and your grades start dropping? This is pathetic." The red writing on the page, made up of crosses and comments saying that work quality needed to be improved, was what stood out the most.

Tsuna looked down, cheeks flushed, "s-sorry, Nii-chan, but…I just…I got so distracted with mom and dad coming and…"

"So, every time something happens, you're going to let it affect your grades?" Hibari asked, his tone one of disapproval. Tsuna was about to speak but the man closed the book and whacked the boy's head (gently) with it. "Get on with it."

Tsuna took the book and stood up. "Hai. Sorry, Nii-chan." He went over to the low table in the corner and sat down.

A few minutes later, Hibari was watching TV when there was a knock at the door. He looked over at the herbivore. "See who it is."

"Hai." Tsuna got up and left the room.

Hibari listened. He heard the door being opened. "Huh?" Tsuna said. "N-Nii-chan, there's a baby here! Um…what should I do?"

The man frowned. A baby?

"Ciaossu!" a childish voice greeted. "I'm Reborn; I'm a katekyoushi hit man. I'm here to begin your boss training."

"Pfft! Who'd send a baby?! Go back to your mommy, kid."

And then a pained cry filled the apartment and a dull thud was heard as something fell to the floor. Hibari got up and went to see.

There was, indeed, a baby. He had black eyes and curly black sideburns. He was dressed in a formal black suit with a purple shirt. He wore a fedora with an orange stripe. A small lizard thing sat on the brim of the hat. Around the baby's neck was a yellow pacifier. He was currently standing on the fallen Tsuna's back.

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Ciaossu!" the child greeted. "I'm Reborn. I'm a home tutor and I'm here for Tsunayoshi Sawada's boss training."

Tsunayoshi groaned in pain. "C-can you get off me please? Your foot's digging into my back."

"I know." Reborn responded as he dug his foot in even more. Tsunayoshi screeched.

Hibari could feel a…a strong vibe coming from the baby. He wasn't normal. And besides, the Bucking-Horse had said that the one who'd train Tsuna went by the name of Reborn.

But he wouldn't let a stranger into his home just like that. He pulled out his tonfa. "I'll decide if you're worthy enough for the job," he said quietly as he rushed forward.

Reborn smiled a half-smile and hopped off Tsunayoshi's back, and the little animal on his fedora jumped down to his hands and began to transform.

Hibari's tonfa was countered with a single jitte. The man was impressed…a little. "Wao, it's been a while since I saw someone using them." he said, now wanting to seriously spill some blood. This baby had actually stopped his attack. A worthy opponent indeed.

He took his tonfa back and swung his other arm around, intending to hit the baby with the other tonfa. But Reborn jumped out of the way with ease.

"A-ano, Nii-chan, please stop!" Tsuna cried. When Hibari glanced over at the boy, he saw that Tsuna was shocked, mouth agape and eyes wide. "H-he's a baby, Nii-chan!"

Hibari stopped. "Very well." He looked down at the baby. "What are the terms of this…training?"

"I stay here until Tsunayoshi becomes a boss." Reborn said.

Hibari stiffened. His eyes narrowed. "Stay…_here_?"

"Yes."

He looked over at Tsunayoshi.

Long seconds ticked by.

"Fine. But this does not mean your other little friends can come and go as they please." he said, still looking at his little brother. "_Nobody_ else comes here, all right?"

"H-hai, Nii-chan."

The man sighed and went back to the living room. The things he did for this child. Unbelievable. He was becoming really soft.

* * *

And that's it! There might be an epilogue, which I'll put up tomorrow or the day after. I've got something written but I don't know if it's good enough or not. I mean, leaving the story here wouldn't make anything seem amiss. But I wanted to show the future, to convey just how much they've grown. I'm open to any suggestions; epilogues aren't my strong point.

* * *

**Omake** (crack):

_Pineapple-People Part Five:_

Pineapple-People existed. There was proof; Mukuro Rokudo was one. Maybe Chrome Dokuro was too.

Even though he'd sent his Mist Guardian away, Tsunayoshi found himself lurking beside Mukuro's room. There had to be more concrete proof! And then he'd get Mukuro experimented on by the scientists!

"Juudaime?" Gokudera walked into the corridor, momentarily surprised to see his boss watching the door of Mukuro's room like a hawk.

Tsuna smiled, giving absolutely no indication of his insanity. "Hello, Gokudera-kun."

The grey-haired man approached. "Juudaime…are you still obsessed with Mukuro?"

"Pfft!" Tsuna scoffed. "Kuh…wha…I…pfft! Who says I'm obsessed?! I was merely taking a walk and ended up here!"

"Juudaime, you're too loud. And it's 3am in the morning."

"So what?! And, what are you doing here, Gokudera-kun?"

Gokudera shrugged. "One of the maids said she heard strange laughter from around here. She was a little freaked out so she came to tell me. I said I'd check it out." He sighed. "Juudaime, you know that freak's not here anymore. You sent him away yourself. He's probably dead and buried by now, knowing Hibari."

Tsunayoshi's eyes widened. "But…but I haven't proven anything yet! This isn't fair! Mukuro, come back from the dead and tell me, you…you…you pineapple-person!"

Gokudera's sigh was long, defeated. He began to push his boss by the shoulders. "Time to go, Juudaime. It seemed Reborn-san's first treatment didn't work. We need to get this problem seen to."

"There isn't a problem! I need to speak with Mukuro!"

"Then I'll call Hibari for you."

"Eh? Really?"

"Hai."

"Yay!"

* * *

Hibari was busy at his desk, looking through some Foundation-related reports, when his phone rang. He pulled it out and checked the number before flicking it up and putting it to his ear. "Yes, Hayato Gokudera?"

"Juudaime wants to talk to you." Gokudera said. "And he's a bit…unusual."

Hibari frowned. Unusual?

"Hello?!" Tsuna said. "Hello?! Anybody there?! Hey, Hibari-san?! Hello?!"

Hibari's brow quivered. "So noisy, Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Oh! Hello, Hibari-san! Is Mukuro there?!"

"Mukuro Rokudo is…currently unavailable." Hibari said with a smirk. He looked back over his shoulder. Everything was in disarray. His room had been so messed up since his new…pet had arrived. Mukuro had duly been punished though, of course.

In one dark corner, a chain had been fixed firmly to the wall. The chain was attached to a collar around a sleeping Mukuro's neck. The Mist Guardian's new "home" was a huge, dark blue cushion.

"Eh?! Why?! What'd you do to him?!" Tsuna asked.

"I…ah, tamed him." Hibari replied. "You sent him to me without an explanation so I figured I could do whatever I wished."

Tsuna gave a nervous laugh on the other end. "Don't tell me…you turned him into an animal, right? Like that time you turned me into a cat."

"Perhaps."

"Man! How am I gonna prove pineapple-people exist now?!"

"Is that all? I have important things to do."

"Hai, hai. Sorry to disturb you. Let me know when you turn him back into a normal person."

"Goodbye, Tsunayoshi Sawada." Hibari hung up and put the phone down.

Behind him, he heard a soft growl. He turned his chair around. Mukuro lifted his head, a pathetic whine escaping his lips. His hands were definitely more…paw-like, and he had a fluffy dark blue tail. Hibari dug out a box of snacks from the top drawer of his desk and gave the contents a shake. Mukuro sat up, suddenly more attentive, tail wagging enthusiastically. He dashed forward…only to choke as the chain yanked him back.

Hibari smirked. This was so amusing.

* * *

Couldn't resist XD I got the idea of doggy!Mukuro from my first fic "He Who Likes Cute, Fluffy Things", where Hibari turned Tsuna into a kitty :D


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

"This is by far the stupidest plan you've ever come up with, herbivore." Hibari said as he turned and left the room.

Tsunayoshi broke off his explanation mid-sentence. "Nii-chan?" He went after the black-haired man. Behind him, Shouichi Irie stared after them worriedly but he left them alone.

Hibari's eyes were shadowed. "I listened, like you instructed me to. But I will not follow your idiotic instructions. There's nothing to be gained from this."

Tsuna took a hold of his Nii-chan's arm and held him back. "But this is necessary. And…Please…I need you, Nii-chan. You're the only one who can do this. We _have_ to succeed, no matter the cost."

Hibari looked over his shoulder at the younger man. Tsunayoshi's eyes were pleading. The black-haired man sighed, though it came out more like a hiss. Those damned eyes were so persuasive. "This will be the last time I go along with your foolish plans. Don't think I'll go easy on your younger self."

The idea that Tsuna thought Hibari would be so ruthless as to attempt to kill him – his younger self, no less – would be something the black-haired man would think on later. Just what kind of a person did Tsunayoshi think Hibari was?

Tsunayoshi laughed, more in relief than anything else. "I'm counting on you."

"You count on me too much."

"But you always pull through for me, Nii-chan."

"I spoilt you too much." the black-haired man said as he walked off. "I shall have to leave a note for my younger self and tell him to be stricter with you."

Tsunayoshi smiled. "This will be our last meeting, Nii-chan."

Hibari stopped and turned back. There was something hurting in his heart, but his face remained passive. "Any last requests?"

The twenty-four-year-old held up one finger. "Just one."

"And what's that?"

"Can you call me by my name?"

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because…I'd just like to hear it from you…at least _once_ before I die." Tsunayoshi looked down, cheeks a little red.

Hibari scoffed. "I thought you said you're not going to die, herbivore."

"You know what I mean."

Hibari took in the face of his little brother. He'd grown so much. And it felt as if it had all happened in the blink of eye. Hibari could still remember those days when Reborn had come and Tsuna had taken baby steps on the path that life would ultimately take him down. Just yesterday, it felt like they'd all faced Mukuro, faced the Varia and gotten the Vongola Rings, and made new friends out of old enemies. Life could be so surprising at times. Who would have thought that Tsunayoshi Sawada, clumsy, nonathletic little boy at the age of twelve, would grow to be the capable and strong leader of the mafia's most influential family?

Hibari sighed. He turned away. "Goodbye…Tsunayoshi."

That pain in his heart was sharp, piercing. It grew with every step. The existence he'd fought to protect thus far would willingly walk into the midst of the enemy, even though the young Vongola knew of the outcome already. It would be a staged "battle" but…the fact remained that this Tsunayoshi Sawada would be no more.

But Hibari was the one Tsuna leaned on for support, so he had to pull through. From the early days of Reborn's arrival in the past, through to officially taking up the position of Vongola's Decimo, up until now, Hibari had been the one to provide a strong pillar to keep the young boss sturdy. Not his friends, not his tutor – although they all certainly played their parts – but his older brother. Hibari didn't provide that support overtly but the right words, at the right time, as long as they were from his mouth and nobody else's, were enough to allay Tsuna's fears. That was their bond.

Hibari vowed then and there that he would do whatever he could to make his little brother's plans come to fruition. It was the least he could do. If Tsuna wanted him to be a cold uncaring bastard to his younger self, then that was what Hibari would be, even if it meant putting the young Tsunayoshi at death's door and leaving him there to rot if he wasn't capable enough. If the young Tsuna couldn't live up to the expectations of this era's Tsuna, then he wasn't worth Hibari's time. Hibari had to believe and incorporate that. He would make Tsuna succeed.

He was at the end of the corridor and was about to turn and head in the direction of the Vongola mansion's exit when Tsuna spoke up again. "Nii-chan?"

He didn't like goodbyes, mainly because they were too mushy for his liking. But how were you supposed to react when you knew that it would be a hell of a long time before you would meet this person? That this person would "die" in the next few days? That was why he didn't turn when he addressed the Vongola Decimo. "What?"

"Thank you. For everything. You're the best."

"Hn. Of course I am." Hibari left, heart feeling like it was shattering into a thousand tiny fragments. _Your sacrifice will not be a waste. I promise you._

* * *

That's all folks! Thanks for the reviews and the favourites and for simply reading! It means a lot. If anybody's interested in the similar story where Tsuna's a girl, then keep an eye on my profile; it should be out in a few weeks. Thank you!


End file.
